Rarely, the insulin-producing glands within the pancreas develop a tumor and produce too much insulin, which causes the blood glucose to become low. This is called hypoglycemia, often referred to as low blood sugar. You may have frequent episodes of mental confusion, giddiness, dizziness, or fainting. The diagnosis is made by finding extremely low blood glucose levels. Surgical removal of the insulin-producing tumor usually results in a cure. The tumor itself is most often benign and will not spread or return once it is removed.
Diabetics who are receiving insulin may develop hypoglycemia if they take more insulin than they require. Insulin dosage adjustments should be discussed with your physician if you are experiencing hypoglycemic reactions while receiving insulin therapy. Home glucose monitoring may help you learn how to adjust your insulin requirements.
A great deal has been written about spontaneous hypoglycemia as a possible cause of many emotional problems, especially in younger people. Whether this is true in the older individual is not certain, but it seems to be much less common, if it exists at all. Insulin-producing tumors are very rarely found in people considered to be suffering from sponta neous hypoglycemia. In some overweight people who have latent diabetes mellitus, there may be a transient period of hypoglycemia a few hours after a large carbohydrate-rich meal. The best treatment for this condition is to lose weight and decrease the intake of simple carbohydrates.
Diabetes insipidus is an uncommon ailment in the elderly. It is the result of a lack of antidiuretic hormone, or ADH, produced by the pituitary gland. The main symptoms are constant thirst and the passage of large amounts of urine. In the early stages it may be mistaken for diabetes mellitus, but blood and urine tests of the glucose level easily differentiate these two illnesses. Diabetes insipidus can be treated with injections of ADH every few days. A nasal inhalation of ADH is also available and may be easier to use than the injections. The ADH treatment must continue for life.
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