Editorial

Hypoglycemia in hospital inpatients with diabetes – a problem revisited

Brian M Frier

Diabetic Hypoglycemia September 2013, Volume 6, Issue 2: page 1-2

The Feature Article in Diabetic Hypoglycemia 2012 by Farrokhi et al addressed the problem of hypoglycemia in hospital inpatients with diabetes. The article focused principally on the management of patients in intensive care settings, where exposure to hypoglycemia contributes to the morbidity of people who are seriously ill, delays their recovery, and can be life-threatening. The accompanying Editorial warned that hypoglycemia is a common and unwelcome occurrence affecting inpatients with diabetes in all medical and surgical wards, and emphasized that most of these events are iatrogenic. Inpatient hypoglycemia is not a new clinical phenomenon, yet its prevalence continues to be under-estimated and it is accepted by many non-specialists as an inevitable hazard of hospital diabetes management, irrespective of the reason for admission. The Editorial Team therefore make no apology for an early return to this topic and, in the present issue, attention is directed to the frequency, causes, management and avoidance of hypoglycemia as it affects patients in all hospital wards and not solely those in intensive care units.