title: Reproducibility of glycaemic thresholds for activation of counterregulatory hormones and hypoglycaemic symptoms in healthy subjects.
abstract: Nine healthy subjects were studied on two separate occasions, at least two weeks apart, using the glucose clamp technique to produce a gradual hypoglycaemia. Glucose thresholds for neuroendocrine and symptom responses varied up to 1.5 mmol/l between subjects. There was a significant correlation between individual glucose thresholds on day 1 and 2 for adrenaline (p = 0.0008), growth hormone (p = 0.007) and pancreatic polypeptide (p = 0.02), and for autonomic (p = 0.018) and neuroglycopoenic (p = 0.023) symptoms, whereas no significant correlations were found for glucagon and cortisol. The mean intra-individual differences in glucose thresholds between day 1 and 2 were 0.22 mmol/l for the hormones and 0.25 mmol/l for the symptoms. We conclude that healthy subjects differ in hypoglycaemic thresholds, and that the difference reflects individual variation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vea
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jorde
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sager
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaaler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sundsfjord
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide; D013006:Growth Hormone; D005934:Glucagon; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D004837:Epinephrine