The pathophysiology of “happy” hypoglycemia

International Journal of Emergency Medicine

article

Loeb, Thomas¹  Ozguler, Anna¹  Baer, Geraldine²  Baer, Michel¹ 

[1] Raymond Poincaré Hospital, University of Paris-Saclay;Department of Emergency Medicine, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

关键词: Hypoglycemia;    Lactate;    Asymptomatic;    Emergency medical service;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12245-021-00348-7

学科分类：工业工程学

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Hypoglycemia usually includes various neurological symptoms, which are the consequence of neuroglycopenia. When it is severe, it is associated with altered mental status, even coma. We report the case of a patient with severe hypoglycemia, completely asymptomatic, due to the increase of lactate production in response to tissue hypoperfusion following a hemorrhagic shock. This illustrates that lactate can substitute glucose as an energy substrate for the brain. It is also a reminder that this metabolite, despite its bad reputation maintained by its role as a marker of severity in critical care patients, has a fundamental role in our metabolism. Following the example of the “happy hypoxemia” recently reported in the literature describing asymptomatic hypoxemia in COVID-19 patients, we describe a case of “happy hypoglycemia.”

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC0