What is the difference between hypoglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia?
Reactive hypoglycemia (postprandial hypoglycemia) refers to low blood sugar that occurs after a meal — usually within four hours after eating. This is different from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) that occurs while fasting.
What is the difference between reactive and fasting hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia mainly affects people with diabetes, but there are two types that can happen to anyone: Fasting hypoglycemia usually results from an underlying disease. Reactive hypoglycemia often happens not long after you eat. You may hear it called postprandial hypoglycemia.
What can mimic reactive hypoglycemia?
Conditions That Can Mimic Hypoglycemia
- Anxiety.
- Migraine headache.
- Heat exhaustion.
- Pancreatitis.
- Lyme disease.
- Pulmonary hypertension.
Is reactive hypoglycemia the same as prediabetes?
Reactive hypoglycemia is one of the two types of non-diabetes-related hypoglycemia. The other type is fasting hypoglycemia. According to the Hormone Health Network, having hypoglycemia without having diabetes is relatively rare. Most people with frequent sugar crashes either have diabetes or prediabetes.
Can you have both reactive and fasting hypoglycemia?
This can happen in people who do not have diabetes. The 2 types of non-diabetic hypoglycemia are fasting hypoglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia. Fasting hypoglycemia often happens after the person goes without food for 8 hours or longer. Reactive hypoglycemia usually happens about 2 to 4 hours after a meal.
Is reactive hypoglycemia an autoimmune disease?
Autoimmune forms of hypoglycemia are a rare cause of low blood sugar levels among Caucasians, and often go misdiagnosed, exposing patients to lengthy series of pointless, potentially harmful and expensive tests. There are two types of autoimmune hypoglycemia.
Can stress cause reactive hypoglycemia?
It is important to be aware that repeated episodes of stress can cause serious changes in blood sugar levels, making it harder for diabetics to manage their condition and increasing the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Can you have reactive hypoglycemia without diabetes?
In people without diabetes, hypoglycemia can result from the body producing too much insulin after a meal, causing blood sugar levels to drop. This is called reactive hypoglycemia. Reactive hypoglycemia can be an early sign of diabetes.
Can reactive hypoglycemia become diabetes?
Reactive hypoglycemia occurs within a few hours after a meal. An overproduction of insulin causes reactive hypoglycemia. Having reactive hypoglycemia may mean you’re at risk of developing diabetes.
How do you fix reactive hypoglycemia?
When someone has symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia, the immediate treatment involves consuming a small amount of a sugary food or beverage, such as half a cup of fruit juice. Following a healthful diet may help prevent the sugar spikes in the bloodstream that lead to sugar dips and symptoms of hypoglycemia.
What autoimmune diseases cause reactive hypoglycemia?
It may be associated with underlying autoimmune disorders like Graves’ disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis [3], [15]. Hypoglycemia occurring in IAS is probably due to dissociation of insulin from its antibodies in the post-absorptive state.
What is reactive hypoglycemia (reactive hypoglycemic disorder)?
Reactive hypoglycemia is a relatively uncommon meal-induced hypoglycemic disorder. Most patients with adrenergic-mediated symptoms have a diagnosis other than reactive hypoglycemia.
Can you have reactive hypoglycemia without actually having low blood sugar?
It’s possible to have symptoms that are similar to reactive hypoglycemia without actually having low blood sugar. True reactive hypoglycemia symptoms that are caused by low blood sugar occurring after eating are uncommon.
Fasting hypoglycemia usually results from an underlying disease. Reactive hypoglycemia often happens not long after you eat. You may hear it called postprandial hypoglycemia. The symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia generally start within 4 hours after a meal.
How do I know if I have reactive hypoglycemia?
Diagnosis of Reactive Hypoglycemia. In order to be evaluated for reactive hypoglycemia, your doctor will obtain your blood sugar (called your blood glucose level) within four to five hours after eating a meal, when you are experiencing symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia.