Artifactual hypoglycemia: a condition that should not be forgotten [case report]

• Autor(a) principal: Amaral, Sara
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Palha, Ana, Bernardino, Vera, Silva-Nunes, José
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/14923
• topic: Artifactual hypoglycemia; Autoimmune diseases; Capillary blood glucose; Hypoglycemia; Raynaud’s phenomenon

Background: Hypoglycemia is uncommon in people who are not being treated for diabetes mellitus and, when present, the differential diagnosis is broad. Artifactual hypoglycemia describes the discrepancy between low capillary and normal plasma glucose levels regardless of symptoms and should be considered in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. Case presentation: A 46-year-old female patient with a history of a sleeve gastrectomy started complaining about episodes of lipothymias preceded by sweating, nausea, and dizziness. During one of these episodes, capillary blood glucose was obtained with a 24 mg/dl value. She had multiple emergency admissions with low-capillary glycemia. An exhaustive investigation for possible causes of hypoglycemia was made for 18 months. The 72h fasting test was negative for hypoglycemia. A Raynaud phenomenon was identified during one appointment. Conclusion: Artifactual hypoglycemia has been described in various conditions including Raynaud's phenomenon, peripheral arterial disease, Eisenmenger syndrome, acrocyanosis, or hypothermia. With this case report, we want to reinforce the importance of being aware of this diagnosis to prevent anxiety, unnecessary treatment, and diagnostic tests.