Hypoglycemia in People Who Do Not Have Diabetes
Two types of hypoglycemia can occur in people who do not have diabetes:
- Reactive hypoglycemia, also called postprandial hypoglycemia, occurs within 4 hours after meals.
- Fasting hypoglycemia, also called postabsorptive hypoglycemia, is often related to an underlying disease.
Symptoms of both reactive and fasting hypoglycemia are similar to diabetes-related hypoglycemia. Symptoms may include hunger, sweating, shakiness, dizziness, light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, anxiety, and weakness.
To find the cause of a patient's hypoglycemia, the doctor will use laboratory tests to measure blood glucose, insulin, and other chemicals that play a part in the body's use of energy.
Reactive Hypoglycemia
Diagnosis
To diagnose reactive hypoglycemia, the doctor may
- ask about signs and symptoms
- test blood glucose while the patient is having symptoms by taking a blood sample from the arm and sending it to a laboratory for analysis*
- check to see whether the symptoms ease after the patient's blood glucose returns to 70 mg/dL or above after eating or drinking
A blood glucose level below 70 mg/dL at the time of symptoms and relief after eating will confirm the diagnosis.
NOTE: The oral glucose tolerance test is no longer used to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia because experts now know the test can actually TRIGGER hypoglycemic symptoms.