Hypoglycemia is indeed a very common problem for people affected by type 1 or type 2 diabetes. But on rare occasions, hypoglycemia can also affect a non-diabetic person. Indeed, the fact that you are not diabetic does not protect you from hypoglycemia, and there are several causes for this. In some cases, this disorder can be caused by taking certain medications. And without the right intervention and treatment, it can be life threatening.

Hypoglycemia: what is it?

Hypoglycemia is a disorder that occurs when the level of sugar or glucose present in the blood drops below a certain level. That’s what the French Society of Endocrinology, in its file “Item 206 — Hypoglycemia”, explains by defining hypoglycemia. The latter often affects people who suffer from type 1 or 2 diabetes. To be more precise, it is people with type 1 diabetes who are most at risk.

Despite following treatment, they are not really immune to hypoglycemia. To give accurate values, hypoglycemia occurs when a person’s blood sugar level “is less than 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 3.3 millimoles per liter (mmol/L),” always specifies the French Society of Endocrinology. Of course, hypoglycaemia will present itself in people without diabetes with lower values.

Hypoglycemia: what are its possible causes in people without diabetes?

As we have already explained to you, hypoglycemia can indeed affect people without diabetes. For this, it would be necessary that the sugar level in the blood of the latter reaches the 50 mg/dL or 2.8 mmol/L. The article “Hypoglycemia” in the MSD Manual (professional version) details the causes of hypoglycemia in people who do not have diabetes. There are indeed many causes that can lead to the onset of hypoglycemia in a non-diabetic person.

The causes of hypoglycemia can be:
– An overconsumption of alcohol, which will obstruct the consumption of new glucose molecules from the body
– A serious pathology such as end-stage liver disease, severe malnutrition…
– Adrenal insufficiency: which leads to a lack of cortisol,
– A tumor,
– And of course, taking certain medications that contain insulin or beta-blockers.