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hypoglycemia
(hi″po-gli-se´me-ә)
an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood, usually because glucose has been either removed at an excessive rate or secreted into the blood at a decreased
rate. This may be tolerated by normal persons for short periods, but if the blood sugar level remains very low for a long
time, there are effects on the brain, with development of mental confusion, hallucinations, convulsions, and eventually deep coma as the nervous system is deprived of the glucose needed for its normal metabolic activities. Various other conditions can
cause hypoglycemia, such as overproduction of insulin by the pancreas, an overdose of therapeutic insulin, certain types of abdominal or pancreatic tumors, and deficient production
of adrenocortical hormones, especially the glucocorticoids.
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