Hypoglycemia induces inflammation among diabetes patients as well as non diabetics

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2022-08-13T07:00:49+05:30 | Updated On 13 Aug 2022 7:00 AM IST

Netherlands: Hypoglycemia induces a pro-inflammatory response that is sustained for one week in people with type 2 diabetes and in those without diabetes, says a recent study published in the journal Diabetes.

Iatrogenic hypoglycemia activates the immune system and is linked to an increased risk for atherosclerotic disease. The study was conducted by Clementine E.M. Verhulst, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and colleagues with the objective to determine acute and long-term effects of insulin-induced hypoglycemia on inflammatory markers in humans with or without type 2 diabetes.

The study included fifteen adults with type 2 diabetes and 16 matched controls (M/F 17/14, age 59.6±7.1 years, BMI 28.5±4.3 kg/m2). They underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic (5.31±0.32 mmol/L) hypoglycemic (2.80±0.12 mmol/L) glucose clamp. Blood was drawn during euglycemia and hypoglycemia and 1, 3, and 7 days later to determine circulating immune cell composition, function, and inflammatory proteins.

The findings of the study were as follows:

In response to hypoglycemia, absolute numbers of circulating lymphocytes and monocytes significantly increased and remained elevated for one week.
The proportion of CD16⁺ -monocytes increased, and the proportion of CD14⁺ -monocytes decreased, which was sustained for a week in people without diabetes.
During hypoglycemia, ex vivo stimulated, monocytes released more TNF-α and IL-1β, and less IL-10, particularly in people with diabetes.
Hs-CRP and 25 circulating inflammatory proteins increased, remaining significantly elevated one week after hypoglycemia.
While levels at euglycemia differed, responses to hypoglycemia were broadly similar in people with or without type 2 diabetes.

This led researchers to conclude, "that hypoglycemia induces a pro-inflammatory response at the cellular and protein level that is sustained for one week in people with type 2 diabetes and controls."

Reference:

Clementine E.M. Verhulst, Julia I.P. van Heck, Therese W. Fabricius, Rinke Stienstra, Steven Teerenstra, Rory J. McCrimmon, Cees J. Tack, Ulrik Pedersen-Bjergaard, Bastiaan E. de Galan; on behalf of the Hypo-RESOLVE consortium, Sustained Pro-Inflammatory Effects of Hypoglycemia in People with Type 2 Diabetes and in People Without Diabetes. Diabetes 2022; db220246. https://doi.org/10.2337/db22-0246

Diabetes journaltype 2 diabeteshypoglycemiainflammatory

Source : Diabetes journal

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751