Open AccessSevere hypoglycemia masquerading as cerebellar stroke
Author(s) -
Naman Agrawal,
Nayer Jamshed,
Praveen Aggarwal,
Meera Ekka
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of family medicine and primary care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2278-7135
pISSN - 2249-4863
DOI - 10.4103/2249-4863.148144
Subject(s) - medicine , hypoglycemia , stroke (engine) , emergency department , confusion , pediatrics , diabetes mellitus , level of consciousness , surgery , anesthesia , endocrinology , psychiatry , mechanical engineering , psychology , psychoanalysis , engineering
Hypoglycemia is a common presenting feature of diabetes in the emergency department. Cardiovascular and neuroglycopenia features are well documented in the literature. We here report a case of 55-year-old female who came to our emergency with clinical features suggestive of cerebellar stroke. Laboratory investigations revealed severe hypoglycemia. The cerebellar signs and symptoms improved completely with intravenous dextrose infusion. Her MR imaging and Doppler of carotid and vertebrobasilar arteries were noncontributory. Hypoglycemia causes behavioral changes, confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures. It is also well known to cause hemiplegia and aphasia. Hypoglycemia presenting as cerebellar stroke is rarely reported in the literature. This case highlights an uncommon manifestation of a common clinical condition. Physician must rule out hypoglycemia in every stroke patients.