August 31, 2004
Hypoglycemia
Question from Massachusetts, USA:
I am a 26 year old female diagnosed with hypoglycemia a year ago after three years of misdiagnosis. Even with a proper diet, I have the tendency to nearly pass out about once or twice a year and can get quite ‘shaky’ if I stray from the diet even slightly. I am worried that my hypoglycemia will turn into type 1 or 2 diabetes in the future if not monitored. My mother was recently diagnosed with type 2. Should I purchase a glucose monitor for myself to monitor my blood sugar and, if so, how often should it be done?
Also, I feel that my short term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. During a traumatic brain injury course at graduate school, I learned that hypoglycemia is a cause of acquired brain injury, mainly impairing memory and attention. How much of an impact does hypoglycemia have on memory and how can further memory loss be prevented?
Answer:
Although it is commonly stated that reactive hypoglycemia may be a precursor to type 2 diabetes, it is not really well documented. Many people with this condition do not develop type 2 diabetes. There is no evidence that monitoring the condition with blood sugars help to prevent symptomatic episodes or the onset of diabetes. My recommendation would be to see your physician on a regular basis, adopt a healthy lifestyle, and use your diet to avoid symptoms.
I am not aware that any data exists regarding brain damage resulting from reactive hypoglycemia. I would anticipate it would be difficult to show such problems as the severity of the episodes are not as severe as what are seen with type 1 diabetes on insulin therapy. In those patients, it is difficult to show changes in psychological testing or intelligence.
JTL