Evaluation of patients admitted with hypoglycaemia to a teaching hospital in Central Anatolia

Hypoglycaemia is one of the most common endocrine emergencies in practice. We analysed retrospectively the incidence and causes of hypoglycaemia in patients admitted to Erciyes University Medical School in Turkey between January 1991 and June 1998 because of hypoglycaemia. Charts were reviewed according to multiple variables including age, sex, blood glucose levels, renal and liver functions, diagnoses, symptoms, drugs, complications, sequelae, and survival status. During this period, 13 500 patients were hospitalised and hypoglycaemia was reported in 126 (0.9%) patients. The most common causes were diabetic treatments in 54 cases (42%), endocrine deficiencies in 25 cases (20%), and malignancy in 15 cases (12%), respectively. The leading endocrine deficiency was panhypopituitarism. Sheehan's syndrome was the most common cause of panhypopituitarism (44%). No underlying cause was diagnosed in seven cases. Nine patients died (7%) and neurological sequelae were observed in one patient with diabetes mellitus. We conclude that hypoglycaemia accounts for about 1% of hospital admissions. Although the hypoglycaemia could be attributed to hypoglycaemic agents in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the majority of cases, Sheehan's syndrome was also found to be an important cause of hypoglycaemia in our hospital.