HYPOGLYCEMIA & ADRENERGIC COUNTER REGULATION

Hypoglycemia may come about for various reasons, e.g. malnutrition, exercise, excessive dosage of antidiabetic drugs. The manifestations of hypoglycemia include: excessive hunger, chilliness, trembling, dizziness, speech disorders, sensory and/or visual disturbances, shallow respiration or bradycardia. In more severe cases, the clinical symptoms of a stroke or coma appear.

Our body responds to hypoglycemia by initiating adrenergic counter-regulation which brings about a new set of symptoms: sweating, damp skin, anxiety, tachycardia, hypertension, palpitations, angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias.

However, under the influence of sympatholytic drugs such as beta-blockers, clonidine, the signs of adrenergic counter-regulation to hypoglycemia may be reduced or absent.