July 6, 2003
Hypoglycemia
Question from Rochester, New York, USA:
After a person has their first hypoglycemic seizure, is there a tendency for that person to seize more easily the next time they go extremely low? Does hypoglycemia lower the seizure threshold in a patient who does not otherwise have a seizure disorder?
Answer:
I am unaware of any evidence to support this hypothesis. However, it is well understood that episodes of severe hypoglycemia do predispose to more such episodes because of the likelihood of losing hypoglycemia awareness symptoms.
That said, a severe hypo or series of them could cause damage to the cerebral cortex that then renders the brain more likely to seizure activity in the future. There have been studies that show EEG abnormalities in children/adults with diabetes and these are more marked in those who have had severe hypos. However, this does not equate to epilepsy.
KJR
