h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've read different (or seemingly contradictory) things on this from different sources. Is it an existing condition in it's own right or does it merely exist as a result of something else? In fact, can someone just explain it to me, rather than me asking a load of questions. I'm sorry if that's an unhelpful request, I'm just not quite sure what to ask so, if people could let me know anything they know, maybe I can move on from there.

Thanks

Hypoglycaemia is simply an abnormally low level of sugar (glucose) in the blood, and as such is a sign of something else - there has to be something causing it. It's most commonly encountered in people with Type I diabetes as a result of injecting too much insulin (this is why people with diabetes often carry sweets or sugar with them). Early signs include shaking and tachycardia (increased heart rate). The most severe symptoms are coma and death, as the brain relies on glucose to live.

If you want to know more, there are many websites aimed at people with diabetes that describe the causes, signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia.

Did that help..?

Other causes for hypoglucemia might be starvation, especially prolonged one or an insulin secreting tumor.

Hypoglucemia caused by starvation/lack of proper food intake is usually less severe and slowly progressing. Hence the urge for a sweet cookie with the afternoon .

Thanks for the responses guys, you've been very helpful. I've read that reactive hypoglycemia (I can't concentrate on spelling it, sorry) is common among fibromylagia sufferes (I'd be very impressed if anyone can comment on that one way or the other) and that it can be a cause of yeast infections, does anyone have any idea if this is true?

Right, well...

A search of the web brings up a lot of sites stating that there is a link between fibromyalgia and hypoglycaemia. Many of them quote research stating that 40% of women and 20% of men with fibromyalgia also have some form of hypoglycaemia. However, I haven't actually found any link to which journal this research is published in...

On the subject of published scientific research, things aren't quite so clear-cut. There are plenty of bits and pieces of research showing that there appear to be some endocrine (hormonal) abnormalities in fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome. These include changes in growth hormone and adrenaline levels, both of which can affect insulin; nothing that would definitively explain why patients are at increased risk of hypoglycaemia, but lots of circumstantial evidence (and bear in mind that this is a very quick review, so there may be things that I've missed!)

As for yeast, again there's nothing definitive in the scientific literature, except for a couple of articles claiming a link between fibromyalgia and defects in the immune system. In patients with diabetes, it seems to be hypERglycaemia (ie, increased blood sugar) that is associated with yeast infections. The fibromyalgia websites talk about yeast infections as a symptom of fibromyalgia, but then yeast infections (athletes foot, thrush etc.) can happen to anyone!

Don't know if any of that helps at all - feel free to keep asking

Alright, let's get to the nub of the problem:

My wife has fibromyaglia

She has always had blood-sugar problems and she has had numerous diabetes tests which have come back negative

She has, of late, suffered from various fungal infections which, despite treatement, tend to come back.

So!

Aha, I cry, and off we might go to the doctor, trumpeting triumphantly that I believe that she has reactive hypoglycemia which is causing her fungal infections.

Except...

I don't want to look like a total arse who does not know the first damn thing about anything in the process.

That's not really a question, I'm afraid, but I'd be jolly glad if someone could answer it anyway.

I'm afraid I can't answer that, based on what I've read... It's possible, of course, that the fungal infections and the hypoglycaemia are separate symptoms of the fibromyalgia, and not related to each other as such.

Fair enough, sorry for asking, I know it was a difficult question. As far as you know, could reactive hypoglycemia be mistaken for diabetes and could it exist for a long time quietly without having any really serious side affects, or is it something that would present immediate and obvious symptoms?

OK... we're getting quite a long way above my knowledge level now, I'm afraid. I would imagine that reactive hypoglycaemia could be confused with type 2 diabetes, and I would also imagine that, depending on the severity, it could go undetected for some time. However, neither of those answers should be regarded as in any way definitive or, necessarily, accurate. The only thing I can recommend is that you talk to your doctor, or to a diabetologist/endocrinologist about it.

No problem, you get bonus points anyway for answering so quickly. Sadly, you are also penalised because anyone who knows as much as you claim ought to be too busy helping the sick to answer my stupid questions quite so quickly. Overall, you have a pretty respectable score, thanks for your help with this question, it's very much appriciated.