Pioneering Past and Bright of Impactful Research and Scholarly Achievements

“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 53 Alcohol-induced Hypoglycaemia in Patients Suffering from Diabetes Mellitus Alcohol has harmful effects on the body. One such effect is the ability to cause hypoglycaemia or low sugar levels in the blood. Symptoms of hypoglycaemia manifest as hunger, excessive sweating, anxiety tiredness and speech problems. Alcohol-induced hypoglycaemia is a serious and well known clinical problem in patients who suffer from diabetes. These diabetics, by virtue of their condition may have co-morbid conditions such as chronic kidney disease which impairs the disposition of medications and other substances from the body, thereby increasing the hypoglycaemic effect of alcohol. Additionally, several anti-diabetic medicines produce hypoglycaemia as a pharmacodynamic effect of the drug. This occurrence compounds the unwanted effect in diabetes patients and places them at serious risk. Alcohol consumption in large quantities places additional stress on the liver, the organ responsible for the metabolism of many drugs as well as the production of glucose. As the liver works to break down alcohol, its processes of glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis are impaired and hypoglycaemia is the consequence. Although the evidence for alcohol-induced hypoglycaemia is strong, a few studies have looked at the influence of genetics on the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase and the association between alcohol consumption and diabetes risk. This paper will also review the literature in order to present a balanced view of the effects of alcohol consumption and its association with diabetes. Patients who suffer from diabetes need to be aware of the effects of alcohol on their condition. They should also be educated about the role of dietary and other lifestyle measures in the management of alcohol-induced hypoglycaemia. Eugenie Brown Myrie College of Health Sciences Editor’s Note: This research was published in the West Indian Medical Journal 60(1):43, 2011. Eugenie BrownMyrie