Editorial

Welcome to Diabetic Hypoglycemia – an essential new source for hypoglycemia awareness

Brian M Frier, MD FRCPE

Diabetic Hypoglycemia June 2008, Volume 1, Issue 1: page 1

Modern management of diabetes demands strict glycemic control to limit the risk of long-term complications, but this comes at a price – an increased risk of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is the commonest side effect of insulin treatment for diabetes, and can be a troublesome and potentially dangerous complication of treatment with insulin secretagogues, principally the sulphonylureas. Hypoglycemia, therefore, pervades the lives of many people, particularly those with type 1 diabetes, but also those with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. This has serious implications for all who are treated with insulin or these hypoglycemic medications, and despite many therapeutic advances, hypoglycemia remains a major clinical problem with wide ramifications. Acquired hypoglycemia syndromes, such as impaired awareness of hypoglycemia, are associated with considerable morbidity for people with type 1 diabetes. Hypoglycemia is, however, a valuable research tool used to investigate mechanisms of cerebral function and indicate how the body responds to metabolic stress. Hypoglycemia is a very important area of human and animal research and the published literature about hypoglycemia is extensive, particularly in relation to diabetes.