factitious hypoglycaemia

factitious hypoglycaemia

The surreptitious ingestion of hypoglycaemic agents (e.g., sulfonylureas or insulin), which is more common in 30–40-year-old females employed in the health professions, who have highly variable levels of glucose.
 
Diagnosis
Measurement of oral hypoglycaemics, insulin antibodies and C-peptide; the C-fragment of the insulin molecule is present in the serum of normal subjects at a ratio of 5–15:1; it is markedly reduced in those who inject insulin.