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Hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetics

Support and treatment to help you take control of your blood sugar levels and stay healthy and well

Reactive hypoglycaemia is a condition in which blood glucose levels fall dangerously low following a meal. Hypos can make you feel dizzy, weak and unwell and, if not properly managed, they can put your wellbeing at risk.

Reactive hypoglycaemia can affect people living with diabetes, but can also impact those who are not affected by the disease, particularly following bariatric surgery. The London Diabetes Centre provides customised, comprehensive care for reactive hypoglycaemia.

What is reactive hypoglycaemia?

Reactive hypoglycaemia is also known as post prandial hypoglycaemia. It’s a condition in which the blood glucose levels fall to dangerously low levels following a meal.

For people with diabetes, careful adjustment of the meal and diabetes medication timings can help overcome reactive hypoglycaemia. However, for many people, the underlying cause of the condition is frustratingly unclear.

The physicians at the London Diabetes Centre are experts in the assessment, investigation and treatment of reactive hypoglycaemia. Falls in blood glucose after a meal can be the result of too much insulin release, particularly following a carbohydrate-rich meal. Alcohol, surgical procedures, hormonal imbalances, metabolic disorders and some rare tumours can also predispose to the condition.

If you are affected by reactive hypoglycaemia, the specialists at the London Diabetes Centre can evaluate your health, identify any underlying disease and work with you to keep your blood glucose under control and improve your quality of life.

Symptoms of reactive hypoglycaemia

The symptoms of reactive hypoglycaemia typically come on within four hours of a meal. The specific symptoms and signs can vary between individuals but can include:

Anxiety and irritability
Blurred vision
Confusion
Dizziness or feeling light-headed
Fatigue and weakness
Headaches
Heart palpitations
Hunger
Sleep disturbance
Clamminess or sweating

For some people, symptoms can be experienced despite having a normal blood glucose on clinical testing. This is known as post prandial syndrome and is thought to be triggered by the food eaten and the movement of the food through the digestive tract. If you often feel unwell following meals, the specialists at the London Diabetes Centre can help.

Treatment of reactive hypoglycaemia at the London Diabetes Centre

The consultant diabetologists at the London Diabetes Centre will make a thorough assessment of your health, your symptoms and your lifestyle. The specialists may arrange blood tests and investigations in the cutting-edge imaging suite, to check for any underlying disease that could be triggering the problem. They will then customise a treatment programme to help manage your symptoms. This can include:

Careful diabetes control: For people with diabetes, careful diabetes control can help reduce the risk of post-prandial hypos. Close glucose monitoring is a key factor in controlling blood glucose levels. The use of medication in diabetes that does not cause hypoglycaemias can substitute for those that do. The London Diabetes Centre offers the latest continuous glucose monitors (CGM), including implantable devices so that you can actively manage your diabetes. Devices are available with alarms to notify you of hypos so that you can take swift and appropriate action.

Treatment of underlying conditions: If an illness, metabolic disorder, tumour or surgical complication is causing the hypoglycaemia, specialist referral and treatment can be arranged at London Medical.

For most people with non-diabetic reactive hypoglycaemia medical treatment is not necessary, instead, the condition can be controlled with careful modification of diet, lifestyle and activity:

Lifestyle changes: Cutting down on alcohol and eating whenever alcohol is drunk can reduce symptoms, Exercising regularly helps to increase glucose uptake and reduces insulin release.

Low glycaemic Non-diabetic hypoglycaemia diet: The specialist dieticians at the London Diabetes Centre can advise on the best nutrition to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Eating a non-diabetic hypoglycaemia low glycaemic diet can help. This is a healthy balanced diet focused on lean protein, vegetables, pulses, healthy fats and whole grains. Carbohydrates and sugary foods or drinks should be avoided. It’s important to eat small meals, no more than 3 hours apart to maintain your energy and help stop your sugar levels dropping.

Support Plans

Risk Assessment

A 30-minute consultation with a DSN or diabetes dietitian
Diabetes risk questionnaire
Height, weight, blood pressure, HbA1c blood test and Body Composition Analysis

Our plan is designed for patients who have not been diagnosed with diabetes who want to check their current health status and understand if they are at risk of developing diabetes.

Second Opinion

A 45-minute diabetes consultant consultation with written report
A 60-minute diabetes dietitian or DSN appointment
Height, weight, blood pressure, HbA1c blood test and glucose test

Our plan is designed for recently diagnosed patients who are unsure about their diagnosis and need a second opinion or need help deciding on their care plan.

Protocol

A 45-minute diabetes consultant consultation with written report
A 60-minute diabetes dietitian or DSN appointment
Height, Weight & Blood Pressure, HBA1c, Blood Glucose, Urine Alb/Cr and other tests

This Gold Standard in diabetes assessment will cover most people’s fundamental requirements for diabetes care.

Premuim

45 minute consultation with Diabetes Consultant to discuss the results and provide a written report
Advanced Lipoprotein Analysis
An OCT - Optical coherence tomography, Ankle and Toe Brachial Index and DEXA scan

This premium plan includes an in depth assessment of your diabetes status and also your wider health risks concerning cholesterol and metabolic health

Looking to speak with a member of our team?

Carol Willis

Carol Willis - Diabetes Clinic Facilitator

If you couldn’t find what you were looking for today, feel free to give us a call at 0800 048 3330 and ask Carol and her team. Alternatively, just fill in this form and someone will get in touch with you promptly. By using this form, you are consenting to the storage and handling of the data contained in the form by our team.