Influence of plasma glucose rate of decrease on hierarchy of responses to hypoglycemia.

To test the hypothesis that the rate of decrease in plasma glucose concentration may affect the hierarchy of responses to hypoglycemia, we compared plasma couterregulatory hormone concentrations, autonomic and neuroglycopenic symptom scores, and cognitive function test performance in 10 normal volunteers whose plasma glucose concentration was either rapidly (over 30 min) decreased to 3.7 mmol (66 mg/dL) or was slowly decreased in a stepwise manner to plateaus of 4.3 mmol (78 mg/dL), 3.7 mmol (66 mg/dL), 3.0 mmol (54 mg/dL), and 2.3 mmol (42 mg/dL). Comparable plasma counterregulatory hormone concentrations and autonomic symptom scores were observed in both sets of experiments during the 3.7 mmol (66 mg/dL) plateaus. In the stepwise decrement experiments, significant increases in neuroglycopenic symptom scores and deterioration in cognitive performance occurred only during the last glycemic plateau (2.3 mmol, 42 mg/dL). In the rapid decrement experiments, no increase in neuroglycopenic symptom score or deterioration in cognitive performance was observed during the 3.7 mmol (66 mg/dL) plateau. We, therefore, conclude that in normal volunteers the rate of decrease in plasma glucose concentration does not affect the hierarchy of responses to hypoglycemia.