Evaluation of patients admitted with hypoglycaemia to a teaching hospital in Central Anatolia
M Güvena, F Bayrama, K Güvenb, F Kelestimura
a Erciyes
University, Medical School, Kayseri, Turkey
Department of Endocrinology, b Department of Internal Medicine
Correspondence to: Dr Muhammet Güven, Alparslan mah. Görkem sok., Görkem apt. 10/18, Kayseri, 38030 Turkey
Submitted 17
November 1998;
Accepted 6 September 1999
Hypoglycaemia is one of the most common endocrine emergencies
in practice. We analysed retrospectively the incidence and causes of
hypoglycaemia in patients admitted to Erciyes University Medical School
in Turkey between January 1991 and June 1998 because of hypoglycaemia.
Charts were reviewed according to multiple variables including age,
sex, blood glucose levels, renal and liver functions, diagnoses,
symptoms, drugs, complications, sequelae, and survival status. During
this period, 13 500 patients were hospitalised and hypoglycaemia was
reported in 126 (0.9%) patients. The most common causes were diabetic
treatments in 54 cases (42%), endocrine deficiencies in 25 cases
(20%), and malignancy in 15 cases (12%), respectively. The leading
endocrine deficiency was panhypopituitarism. Sheehan's syndrome was
the most common cause of panhypopituitarism (44%). No underlying cause
was diagnosed in seven cases. Nine patients died (7%) and neurological
sequelae were observed in one patient with diabetes mellitus. We
conclude that hypoglycaemia accounts for about 1% of hospital
admissions. Although the hypoglycaemia could be attributed to
hypoglycaemic agents in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the
majority of cases, Sheehan's syndrome was also found to be an
important cause of hypoglycaemia in our hospital.
Keywords: hypoglycaemia; Sheehan's syndrome; endocrine emergency; insulinoma
© 2000 by The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
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