By far, the most common cause of severe hypoglycemia in this age range is insulin injected for type 1 diabetes. Circumstances should provide clues fairly quickly for the new diseases causing severe hypoglycemia. All of the congenital metabolic defects, congenital forms of hyperinsulinism, and congenital hypopituitarism are likely to have already been diagnosed or are unlikely to start causing new hypoglycemia at this age. Body mass is large enough to make starvation hypoglycemia and idiopathic ketotic hypoglycemia quite uncommon. Recurrent mild hypoglycemia may fit a reactive hypoglycemia pattern, but this is also the peak age for idiopathic postprandial syndrome, and recurrent "spells" in this age group can be traced to orthostatic hypotension or hyperventilation as often as demonstrable hypoglycemia.
The incidence of hypoglycemia due to complex drug interactions, especially involving oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin for diabetes, rises with age. Though much rarer, the incidence of insulin-producing tumors also rises with advancing age. Most tumors causing hypoglycemia by mechanisms other than insulin excess occur in adults.
Cardiovascular | No underlying causes |
Chemical / poisoning | 1,1-Dichloroethene, Ackee fruit, Jamaican vomiting sickness, Systemic monochloroacetate poisoning |
Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
Drug Side Effect | Acetohexamide, Amprenavir, Chloramphenicol, Chlorpromazine, Chlorpropamide, Cibenzoline, Clove, Ethanol, Ethionamide, Fluorodeoxyglucose, Gatifloxacin, Ginseng, Glibenclamide, Gliclazide, Glimepiride, Glipizide, Gliquidone, Glisolamide, Glisoxepide, Insulin, Insulin-like growth factor, Lanreotide, Levomepromazine, Mitiglinide, Nateglinide, Pazopanib, Pentamidine, Perazine, Pipothiazine, Pramlintide, Quinine, Repaglinide, Ritonavir, Saquinavir, Somatostatin, Sulfamethoxazole, Temafloxacin, Tolazamide, Tolbutamide, Trimethoprim |
Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
Endocrine | Addison's disease, Adrenal insufficiency, Beginning stages of diabetes, Glucagon deficiency, Hypopituitarism, Hypothyroidism, Multiple endocrine neoplasia, Myxedema coma, Timme syndrome |
Environmental | No underlying causes |
Gastroenterologic | Acute fatty liver of pregnancy, Acute liver failure, Cirrhosis, Diabetic gastroparesis, Diarrhea, Dumping syndrome, Functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor, Gastric dumping syndrome, Hepatic congestion, Hepatic failure, Idiopathic postprandial syndrome, Insulinoma, Liver cancer, Malabsorption, Maldigestion, Reactive hypoglycemia, Severe hepatitis |
Genetic | 2-methylbutyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, 3-alpha-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, 3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency, ACAD9 deficiency, Alpers' syndrome, Carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type 1b, Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency, Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency, Cleft lip palate pituitary deficiency, Dicarboxylicaminoaciduria, Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency, Donohue syndrome, Dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency, Familial glucocorticoid deficiency, Familial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia type 3, Familial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia type 5, Familial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia type 7, Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency, Fructose-1-phosphate aldolase deficiency, Galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase deficiency, Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, Glutaric acidemia type 2, Glycogenosis type 1a, Glycogenosis type 1b, Glycogenosis type 3, Glycogenosis type 6, Glycogenosis type 9a, Glycogenosis type 9b, Glycogenosis type 9c, Glycogenosis type V, Growth hormone deficiency (congenital), Hereditary ACTH resistance, HMG-CoA lyase deficiency, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase deficiency, Hyperinsulinism-hyperammonemia syndrome, Laron dwarfism, Leucine-induced hypoglycaemia, Liver glycogen synthase deficiency, Long-chain hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase deficiency, Maple syrup urine disease, Medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Methylmalonic acidemia, Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, hepatocerebral form, Mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency, Navajo neurohepatopathy, Nephroblastomatosis-fetal ascites-macrosomia-wilms tumor, Nesidioblastosis, Plasma membrane carnitine transporter deficiency, Propionyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency PCCA type, Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Short stature-pituitary and cerebellar defects-small sella turcica, Triple A syndrome, Tyrosinaemia type 1, Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome, X-linked congenital adrenal hypoplasia |
Hematologic | Hemolytic disease of the newborn |
Iatrogenic | Gastrojejunostomy, Postgastrectomy syndrome, Pyloroplasty, Reye syndrome |
Infectious Disease | Acute meningitis, Malaria (malignant tertian), Sepsis, Visceral leishmaniasis |
Musculoskeletal / Ortho | No underlying causes |
Neurologic | Autonomic dystonia, Autonomic neuropathy, Elevated vagal tone |
Nutritional / Metabolic | Coenzyme Q cytochrome c reductase deficiency, Deficiency in enzymes of fat oxidation, Fructose intolerance, Galactosemia, Glycogen debranching deficiency, Hypoketonemic hypoglycemia, Ketotic hypoglycemia of infancy, Mcquarrie type infantile idiopathic hypoglycemia, Organic acidemia, Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) deficiency, Urea cycle disorder, Glucagon deficiency, ACAD9 deficiency, Dicarboxylicaminoaciduria, Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency, Fructose-1-phosphate aldolase deficiency, Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, Glutaric acidemia type 2, Glycogenosis type 1a, Glycogenosis type 1b, Glycogenosis type 3, Glycogenosis type 6, Glycogenosis type 9a, Glycogenosis type 9b, Glycogenosis type 9c, Glycogenosis type V, HMG-CoA lyase deficiency, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase deficiency, Long-chain hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase deficiency, Maple syrup urine disease, Medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Methylmalonic acidemia, Nesidioblastosis, Propionyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency PCCA type, Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Tyrosinaemia type 1, Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency |
Obstetric/Gynecologic | Diabetic mother, Gestational diabetes, Intrauterine growth retardation, Pregnancy, Premature labour and/or delivery, Sheehan syndrome |
Oncologic | Adrenal cancer, Doege-Potter syndrome, IGF producing tumors, Tumors, Functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor, Insulinoma, Liver cancer, Mesothelioma |
Ophthalmologic | No underlying causes |
Overdose / Toxicity | Acetohexamide, Amprenavir, Chloramphenicol, Chlorpromazine, Chlorpropamide, Cibenzoline, Clove, Ethanol, Ethionamide, Fluorodeoxyglucose, Gatifloxacin, Ginseng, Glibenclamide, Gliclazide, Glimepiride, Glipizide, Gliquidone, Glisolamide, Glisoxepide, Insulin, Lanreotide, Levomepromazine, Mitiglinide, Nateglinide, Pazopanib, Pentamidine, Perazine, Pipothiazine, Pramlintide, Quinine, Repaglinide, Ritonavir, Saquinavir, Somatostatin, Sulfamethoxazole, Temafloxacin, Tolazamide, Tolbutamide, Trimethoprim |
Psychiatric | Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Munchausen syndrome |
Pulmonary | Mesothelioma |
Renal / Electrolyte | Benign glucosuria, Kidney Failure, Renal hypoglycemia, Uremia |
Rheum / Immune / Allergy | Autoimmune adrenalitis, Hemolytic disease of the newborn, Immunopathologic hypoglycemia, Insulin receptor antibodies |
Sexual | No underlying causes |
Trauma | Burns |
Urologic | No underlying causes |
Dental | No underlying causes |
Miscellaneous | Alcoholism, Binge drinking, Cachexia, Delayed separation blood sample, Drip arm sample, Fasting, Heavy exercise, Hypothermia, Idiopathic hypoglycemia, Septic shock, Starvation (acute) |
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