Importance of glucose control for the recovery from hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetics.

To evaluate whether the delayed glucose compensation after hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetics was associated with their elevated blood glucose levels, five diabetic patients were studied before and after a period of intensified metabolic control. The glucose recovery rate was found to be improved after better diabetic control. This influence seems to be better reflected by the mean diurnal level rather than the glucose level immediately before hypoglycemia. The improvement occurred despite the same or lower levels of the important glucocompensatory hormones. These results show the importance of antecedent metabolic control for glucose compensation after hypoglycemia.