Hypoglycemia Diagnosis can be very tricky, since symptoms and causes of this affliction are diverse and very common with other illnesses. Improper hypoglycemia diagnosis based on incomplete data can result in the patient receiving treatment for unrelated ailments such as schizophrenia, diarrhea, food poisoning or clinical depression. To properly diagnose a case of hypoglycemia, a physician will resort to a three phase diagnostic approach called the Whipple Triad, named after the American surgeon Allen Whipple.
The first phase of the Whipple Triad involves screening and testing the patient for signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia. This involves a series of questions first, and then followed by overnight fasting. Fasting is involved since the effects of hypoglycemia may not be apparent or may not show up immediately. The fasting phase is very similar to a hunter baiting his prey, with fasting serving its purpose to coax out hypoglycemia if it is present in a person. In certain cases where fasting may be dangerous, a physician and his patient can choose to do the overnight fasting phase within the controlled confines of a medical hospital. As an alternative to the fasting phase, the first step of the Whipple Triad may involve the doctor feeding you and testing your glucose levels after the meal. This happens when the doctor suspects that your hypoglycemia triggers after meals.
The second phase of the Whipple Triad applied to hypoglycemia diagnosis involves the analyzing and documentation of available data when the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia finally occur. Assuming that the attack was trigger under a controlled environment and a trained physician is present, it is now time for blood sample to be taken and to be sent to the laboratory for further testing. It’s in this phase where medication is again applied to stop the intentional hypoglycemia attack.
The third and final phase of the Whipple Triad pertains to the disappearance of signs and symptoms and involves the formulation of conclusions and proper suggestion of medication once your hypoglycemia has reacted positively and your blood glucose levels stabilized properly. If the third phase yields less than satisfactory results or is impeded, the doctor will go back to either the first or the second phase, depending on whether the data available is enough or if he may need to gather more information for further testing.
To increase the chances of success with the Whipple Triad, it is important for the patient to be honest and thorough with his physician, leaving no secrets and answering every question in full detail no matter how embarrassing he may find the question and answer to be. The doctor may ask even private questions such as how much alcohol you drink and when and where you have done it recently. This set of questions alone could prompt private, and delicate information but you can be rest assured that a doctor is sworn to keep matters like it to himself. Lack of proper information will do nothing except impede the process and may result in your illness getting more severe and fatal.
Quick Tip #1
Treatment of hypoglycemia is an ongoing process, remember to have a good diet with evenly spaced out meals every 2-3 hours apart. Also exercising can really help in keeping this condition under check.
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Quick Tip #2
A lot of symptoms of low blood sugar have common signs as other diseases. If you exeperience any of the hypoglycemia symptoms, do consult your doctor for treatment.
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