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Transient atrial fibrillation precipitated by hypoglycaemia: two case reports
A Collier1, D M Matthews, R J Young
1Diabetic and Dietetic Department, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, UK.
Postgraduate Medical Journal
|October 1, 1987
Summary
Severe hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetes can cause atrial fibrillation. This heart rhythm disturbance resolved with dextrose treatment, highlighting a new complication of low blood sugar in diabetics.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Hypoglycemia is a common complication for insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
- Atrial fibrillation is a significant cardiac arrhythmia with various known causes.
Observation:
- Two female patients with insulin-dependent diabetes presented with severe hypoglycemia.
- Both patients concurrently exhibited atrial fibrillation during their hypoglycemic episodes.
Findings:
- The atrial fibrillation episodes in both patients reverted to normal sinus rhythm after administration of intravenous dextrose.
- This case series suggests a potential link between severe hypoglycemia and the onset of atrial fibrillation in insulin-dependent diabetics.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider atrial fibrillation as a potential complication of severe hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms connecting hypoglycemia and cardiac arrhythmias.
- Prompt management of hypoglycemia may help prevent or resolve associated cardiac complications like atrial fibrillation.