Spontaneous hypoglycemia
Encyclopedia
The term "spontaneous hypoglycemia" was coined by the physician Seale Harris
.
It is a vague term that is currently considered to be too imprecise to be useful by doctors interested in hypoglycemia
, though it may have historical value.
was writing about hypoglycemia, the only two kinds that were well understood were diabetic hypoglycemia
and hypoglycemia resulting from insulinoma
. He asserted that were likely other types as well. His assertion was widely enough accepted that the diagnosis was assigned to, or claimed by, a large number of patients with otherwise unexplained adrenergic
symptoms.
His contemporary, a surgeon named Allen Oldfather Whipple
, formulated the Whipple criteria as a sieve to sort out those who might have an insulinoma requiring surgery from those with symptoms but not measured low blood glucose. They are still in use for exactly that purpose.
Seale Harris
Seale Harris was an American physician and researcher born in Cedartown, Georgia and nicknamed "the Benjamin Franklin of Medicine" by contemporaries for his leadership and writing on a wide range of medical and political topics. Dr...
.
It is a vague term that is currently considered to be too imprecise to be useful by doctors interested in hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
, though it may have historical value.
- In some contexts it refers to hypoglycemia that is not induced by exogenous insulin (i.e., diabetic hypoglycemiaDiabetic hypoglycemiaDiabetic hypoglycemia is a low blood glucose level occurring in a person with diabetes mellitus. It is one of the most common types of hypoglycemia seen in emergency departments and hospitals...
). - In other contexts it is equivalent to idiopathic hypoglycemiaIdiopathic hypoglycemiaIdiopathic hypoglycemia is, literally, a medical condition in which the glucose level in the blood is abnormally low due to an undeterminable cause. This is considered an incomplete and unsatisfactory diagnosis by physicians and is rarely used by endocrinologists, as it implies an unfinished...
(i.e., of unknown causeIdiopathicIdiopathic is an adjective used primarily in medicine meaning arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause. From Greek ἴδιος, idios + πάθος, pathos , it means approximately "a disease of its own kind". It is technically a term from nosology, the classification of disease...
). - And some people use it to encompass idiopathic hypoglycemia with measured low blood glucose, reactive hypoglycemiaReactive hypoglycemiaReactive hypoglycemia, or postprandial hypoglycemia, is a medical term describing recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal in people who do not have diabetes...
with measured low glucose, - And it may refer to idiopathic postprandial syndromeIdiopathic postprandial syndromeIdiopathic postprandial syndrome is a medical term describing a collection of symptoms popularly attributed to hypoglycemia but without demonstrably low blood glucose levels.People with this condition suffer from recurrent episodes of altered mood and cognitive...
.
History
When Seale HarrisSeale Harris
Seale Harris was an American physician and researcher born in Cedartown, Georgia and nicknamed "the Benjamin Franklin of Medicine" by contemporaries for his leadership and writing on a wide range of medical and political topics. Dr...
was writing about hypoglycemia, the only two kinds that were well understood were diabetic hypoglycemia
Diabetic hypoglycemia
Diabetic hypoglycemia is a low blood glucose level occurring in a person with diabetes mellitus. It is one of the most common types of hypoglycemia seen in emergency departments and hospitals...
and hypoglycemia resulting from insulinoma
Insulinoma
An insulinoma is a tumour of the pancreas that is derived from beta cells and secretes insulin.Beta cells secrete insulin in response to increases in blood glucose. The resulting increase in insulin acts to lower blood glucose back to normal levels at which point further secretion of insulin is...
. He asserted that were likely other types as well. His assertion was widely enough accepted that the diagnosis was assigned to, or claimed by, a large number of patients with otherwise unexplained adrenergic
Adrenergic
An adrenergic agent is a drug, or other substance, which has effects similar to, or the same as, epinephrine . Thus, it is a kind of sympathomimetic agent...
symptoms.
His contemporary, a surgeon named Allen Oldfather Whipple
Allen Whipple
Allen Oldfather Whipple was an American surgeon who is known for the pancreatic cancer operation which bears his name as well as Whipple's triad....
, formulated the Whipple criteria as a sieve to sort out those who might have an insulinoma requiring surgery from those with symptoms but not measured low blood glucose. They are still in use for exactly that purpose.
See also
- Whipple's triadWhipple's triadWhipple's triad is a collection of three criteria that suggest a patient's symptoms result from hypoglycemia that may indicate insulinoma...
also called: Whipple's criteria. - HypoglycemiaHypoglycemiaHypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
- Diabetic hypoglycemiaDiabetic hypoglycemiaDiabetic hypoglycemia is a low blood glucose level occurring in a person with diabetes mellitus. It is one of the most common types of hypoglycemia seen in emergency departments and hospitals...
- Reactive hypoglycemiaReactive hypoglycemiaReactive hypoglycemia, or postprandial hypoglycemia, is a medical term describing recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal in people who do not have diabetes...
- Idiopathic hypoglycemiaIdiopathic hypoglycemiaIdiopathic hypoglycemia is, literally, a medical condition in which the glucose level in the blood is abnormally low due to an undeterminable cause. This is considered an incomplete and unsatisfactory diagnosis by physicians and is rarely used by endocrinologists, as it implies an unfinished...
- Idiopathic postprandial syndromeIdiopathic postprandial syndromeIdiopathic postprandial syndrome is a medical term describing a collection of symptoms popularly attributed to hypoglycemia but without demonstrably low blood glucose levels.People with this condition suffer from recurrent episodes of altered mood and cognitive...
- Ketotic hypoglycemiaKetotic hypoglycemiaKetotic hypoglycemia is a medical term used in two ways: broadly, to refer to any circumstance in which low blood glucose is accompanied by ketosis, and in a much more restrictive way to refer to recurrent episodes of hypoglycemic symptoms with ketosis and, often, vomiting, in young children...