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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Drop In Blood Sugar Level?

my husband had supper one evening and then laid on the couch for a few hours and few asleep. when he woke up to go to bed he went to the bathroom first and while standing fainted falling to the floor. When he came around got back up, and down he went again. This has happened twice now. The ambulance came after 45 minutes and check everything. They said it could be his suger dropping. He did break out in a sweat and get all clammy and his colored changed. The 2nd time it happened I did not call for help. I gave him a small piece of candy and a glass of lemonade. I checked his bp and it was 80/50. How could this be his sugar dropping after eating a supper and why at night after he has fell a sleep for a few hours? Could this be a sign of heart issues? He had a physical before this all happened and all blood work was good.
Mon, 15 Dec 2014
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello
As you stated that after supper ,he laid on a couch for a few hours ( and 2nd time also same thing ).
This is not a case of post prandial hypoglycemia ( low level of sugar )because it occurs within 1/2 hours , while your huband laid on couch for few hours .
While sweating and cold clammy skin are common after faintness ( dizziness ).
May be due to these possibilities ,these include:
1 Orthostatic hypotension ( when you measured his BP , it was also 80/50 mm of Hg.)
Sudden rising from a recumbent position or standing quietly ( as in your husband case ) are precipitating circumstances.
Causes are 30 % in elderly ( but you didn't mention the age of your husband ), physical deconditioning may play an important role .
Also occurs with autonomic nervous system disorders, either peripheral ( diabetes , nutritional or amyloid polyneuropathyor other disorder.
2 The nest reason of such cases may be due to hyper tension ( in your husband it was 80/50 but this was after faintness and this is common) .
I recommend you please consult a physician and get his opinion when the condition of your husband is normal i.e. not at or after faintness .
Hope this will help you.
Good luck.
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Pain Medicine & Palliative Care Specialist Dr. Sabiha Banu's  Response
hi
this can be due to hypoglycaemic attack, or vasovagal or cardiac related.
mostof the diabetic patients do not complain of chest pain ,
signs of giddiness , vomiting, hypo-hypertension,sweating, shortness of breath, all these can be signs of cardiac related problems most probably blocks or ischaemic changes
please get evaluated for both the reasons.
all the best
take care
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Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Divakara's  Response
HI
Thanks for posting your query to Healthcaremagic.

Well his symptoms are very much pointing towards Low blood sugar ( Hypoglycemia ) but a diagnosis of Hypoglycemia needs Blood sugar testing at the time of the event ( which has not been done in your husband's case ). So it could be Hypoglycemia or something else.

One good finding done by you is measuring his BP which was quite low. A low BP ( Hypotension ) can also explain his symptoms. So what causes Hypotension repeatedly has to be evaluated . Possible causes are Heart problems , a condition called Autonomic Neuropathy or brain problems .

Other causes for his fainting are Inner ear problems , Serum Vitamin B12 deficiency .

I advise you to check his blood sugars during the time of event ( if in case it repeats ) get his 24 hour BP checked , 2D -ECHO scan to look into heart status, Serum Vitamin B12 levels checked and get his ears checked by Ent DOCTOR.

Revert back to me with reports .


Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarifications feel free to ask .

Regards.


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What Causes Drop In Blood Sugar Level?

Hello As you stated that after supper ,he laid on a couch for a few hours ( and 2nd time also same thing ). This is not a case of post prandial hypoglycemia ( low level of sugar )because it occurs within 1/2 hours , while your huband laid on couch for few hours . While sweating and cold clammy skin are common after faintness ( dizziness ). May be due to these possibilities ,these include: 1 Orthostatic hypotension ( when you measured his BP , it was also 80/50 mm of Hg.) Sudden rising from a recumbent position or standing quietly ( as in your husband case ) are precipitating circumstances. Causes are 30 % in elderly ( but you didn t mention the age of your husband ), physical deconditioning may play an important role . Also occurs with autonomic nervous system disorders, either peripheral ( diabetes , nutritional or amyloid polyneuropathyor other disorder. 2 The nest reason of such cases may be due to hyper tension ( in your husband it was 80/50 but this was after faintness and this is common) . I recommend you please consult a physician and get his opinion when the condition of your husband is normal i.e. not at or after faintness . Hope this will help you. Good luck.