Hypoglycemia

                            Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood" (Gr. hypo-, glykys, haima).

Hypoglycemia can produce a variety of symptoms and effects but the principal problems arise from an inadequate supply of glucose as fuel to the brain, resulting in impairment of function (neuroglycopenia). Effects can range from vaguely "feeling bad" to seizures, unconsciousness, and (rarely) permanent brain damage or death.

The most common forms of moderate and severe hypoglycemia occur as a complication of treatment of diabetes mellitus with insulin or oral medications. Hypoglycemia is less common in non-diabetic persons, but can occur at any age, from many causes. Among the causes are excessive insulin produced in the body, inborn errors of carbohydrate, fat, amino acid or organic acid metabolism, medications and poisons, alcohol, hormone deficiencies, certain tumors, prolonged starvation, and alterations of metabolism associated with infection or failures of various organ systems.

Applying the Basic Sciences to Clinical Medicine

Applying the Basic Sciences to Clinical Medicine

PART 1. APPROACH TO LEARNING PATHOLOGY

Pathology is best learned by a systematic approach, first by learning the language of the discipline and then by understanding the function of the various processes. Increasingly, the understanding of cell and organ function plays an important role in the understanding of disease processes and the treatment of disease. Initially, some of the "language" must be memorized in the same way that the alphabet must be learned by rote; however, the appreciation of the way the "pathology words" are constructed requires an understanding of mechanisms, in essence, an awareness of "how things are put together and work together."