AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF HYPOGLYCEMIA: A CASE REPORT

Hypoglycemia is characterized by a reduction in plasma glucose concentration to a level that may induce symptoms or signs such as altered mental status or sympathetic nervous system stimulation. Glucose levels <55 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L) with symptoms that are relieved promptly after the glucose level is raised document hypoglycemia. 1 Hypoglycemia is most convincingly documented by Whipple’s triad: (1) symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia, (2) a low plasma glucose concentration measured with a precise method (not a glucose monitor), and (3) relief of those symptoms after the plasma glucose level is raised[1]. Hypoglycemia is most commonly a result of the treatment of diabetes, however it can also be seen in patients with critical organ failure (hepatic, renal or cardiac failure), severe sepsis, pancreatic tumors, adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, alcohol use or who have had stomach surgery. There are very few case reports of patients presenting as hypoglycemia caused by panhypopituitarism. 2 The potentially life-threatening consequences of sudden, unexpected hypoglycemia may endanger not only the affected person but others as well (eg, hypoglycemia in a driver of a motor vehicle).