Question

Insulin is the major hormone produced by the pancreatic beta cell (Islet of Langerhans). The main role of insulin is to regulate blood glucose. Because you are doing physiology, a relative comes to you to explain why they have been feeling unwell and suffering “funny attacks” at irregular times. The symptoms they describe to you are the following – headaches and mental confusion, tiredness, and weakness, shaking and a fast heart rate. Your relative says these symptoms disappear when they eat sweets or a small snack.

Can you give your relative some clues as to what might be happening to explain their symptoms? Your answer should include what is happening with your relatives blood glucose levels to cause such symptoms, what hormones are being released from the pancreas, the adrenal medulla and cortex and what these hormones may be doing to maintain blood glucose homeostasis.

Answer 1

The symptoms are due to hypoglycemia. As relative says when he consume some sweets or small snakes symptoms disappear. This mean when he consume sweets or small snake blood glucose level becomes normal.

Hypoglycemia is the condition in which blood glucose level is decreased beyond the normal level. When blood glucose level decreases, glucagon is released from pancreas, adrenaline from adrenal medulla and cortisol from cortex. These hormones promote glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the liver to produce glucose and thus raise blood glucose level.