Question

Insulin is the major hormone produced by the pancreatic beta cell (Islet of Langerhans). The main role of insulin is to regulate blood glucose. Because you are doing physiology, a relative comes to you to explain why they have been feeling unwell and suffering “funny attacks” at irregular times. The symptoms they describe to you are the following – headaches and mental confusion, tiredness, and weakness, shaking and a fast heart rate. Your relative says these symptoms disappear when they eat sweets or a small snack.

Can you give your relative some clues as to what might be happening to explain their symptoms? Your answer should include what is happening with your relatives blood glucose levels to cause such symptoms, what hormones are being released from the pancreas, the adrenal medulla and cortex and what these hormones may be doing to maintain blood glucose homeostasis.

Answer 1

The symptoms of headaches and mental confusion, tiredness, and weakness, shaking and a fast heart rate all indicate that the individual is having hypoglycemia, Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below normal. For many people with diabetes, that means a level of 70 milligrams per deciliter, or could be lower.

Normaly pancreas releases two important hormones, insulin and glucagon, and adrenal medula releases cortisol and epinephrine, insulin acts to decrease glucose levels and glucagon acts to increase glucose levels,while cortisol and epinephrine acts to increase blood glucose levels, in people with diabatese, there is insufficent production of insulin, because of which there is increased concentration of glucose in blood, if people with diabetese, if there is excess intake of insulin or any other antidiabeticmedication, or if they do not eat their food on time, or if they exert too much, than under these conditions there can be decrease in blood sugar levels, causing hypoglycemia, this is the reason symtoms disappear when they eat snacks or sweets.

In people undergoing hypoglycemis they have reduced sensitivity to epinephrine and glucagon as a result they are unable or not aware of the marked drop in blood sugar levels in time to take corrective steps.