Treatment with insulin can cause hypoglycemia (low levels of glucose in the blood), which, if prolonged, can lead to neuronal death, brain injury and coma. In a new study, researchers found that in hypoglycemic mice, neuronal death is triggered by treatment with glucose rather than by the hypoglycemia. This suggests that it might be best to treat individuals in hypoglycemic coma by gradually increasing their blood glucose levels rather than by restoring glucose levels rapidly.
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