Reactive hypoglycemia, or postprandial hypoglycemia, is a condition characterized by a decrease in blood sugar up to 4 hours after a meal and is also accompanied by typical symptoms of hypoglycaemia, such as headaches, tremors and dizziness.
This condition is often not adequately diagnosed, being considered a simple situation of common hypoglycaemia and is linked to stress, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine and food intolerances, for example, however, reactive hypoglycemia must be adequately diagnosed so that its cause may be Appropriate treatment may be requested, since dietary changes are not sufficient to treat reactive hypoglycemia.
- Because the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia are the same as those of common hypoglycemia.
- Diagnosis is often made incorrectly.
Therefore, to diagnose postprandial hypoglycaemia, the Whipple triad should be considered, in which the person must have the following factors for the diagnosis to be completed:
To allow a better interpretation of the symptoms and values obtained, it is recommended that in case of reactive hypoglycemia, the person with symptoms goes to the laboratory and draws blood after the meal and stays on site for about 5 hours. Symptoms of hypoglycaemia after carbohydrate consumption should also be observed, which should occur after collection.
Thus, if low circulating glucose levels are detected in the blood test and symptoms improve after carbohydrate consumption, postprandial hypoglycemia is conclusive and research is recommended to initiate the most appropriate treatment.
Reactive hypoglycemia is the result of rare diseases and therefore the diagnosis of this pathology is often wrong. The main causes of reactive hypoglycaemia are hereditary fructose intolerance, bariatric post-surgery syndrome and insulinoma, which is a pathology characterized by excessive insulin production by the pancreas, with a rapid and excessive decrease in the amount of circulating glucose. Learn more about insulinoma.
Symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia are related to decreased amount of circulating glucose in the blood and therefore symptoms are the same as those of hypoglycaemia resulting from the use of certain medications or prolonged fasting, the main ones being:
In order for reactive hypoglycemia to be confirmed, in addition to symptoms, the person must have small amounts of glucose circulating in the blood after the meal and that an improvement in symptoms is checked after eating sugary foods. The identification of the cause is important, to initiate treatment, which is established by the endocrinologist according to the cause.