Iatrogenic hypoglycemia causes recurrent physical and recurrent or even persistent psychosocial morbidity, and some mortality, in patients with insulindependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), and in some patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (1,2). There is now compelling evidence, from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), that metabolic control delays the development and progression of retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy in IDDM, albeit at the expense of an increased frequency of treatment-induced hypoglycemia (3). These findings will almost assuredly provide further impetus to patients and health care providers to attempt to maintain plasma glucose levels as close to the nondiabetic range as possible. If so, hypoglycemia will become an even more common problem for patients with diabetes in the near future.
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Technical Review|
July 01 1994
Hypoglycemia
Philip E Cryer, MD;
Philip E Cryer, MD
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
Missouri
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Joseph N Fisher, MD;
Joseph N Fisher, MD
University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Memphis, Tennessee
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Harry Shamoon, MD
Harry Shamoon, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, New York
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Address correspondence to Philip E. Cryer, MD, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Washington University School of Medicine (Box 8127), 660 South Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Citation
Philip E Cryer, Joseph N Fisher, Harry Shamoon; Hypoglycemia. Diabetes Care 1 July 1994; 17 (7): 734–755. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.17.7.734
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