Effect of acute ethanol intoxication on glucoregulation during prolonged insulin-induced hypoglycemia

In vitro and in vivo models of acute alcohol exposure

Alcohol abuse is a global problem due to the financial burden on society and the healthcare system. While the harmful health effects of chronic alcohol abuse are well established, more recent data suggest that acute alcohol consumption also affects human wellbeing. Thus, there is a need for research models in order to fully understand the effect of acute alcohol abuse on different body systems and organs. The present manuscript summarizes the interdisciplinary advantages and disadvantages of currently available human and non-human models of acute alcohol abuse, and identifies their suitability for biomedical research.

Drug-induced hypoglycemia

Therapeutically administered antidiabetic drugs, notably insulin and the sulfonylureas, are undoubtedly the most common cause of hypoglycemia encountered in clinical practice. Nevertheless, an impressive list of other drugs can produce hypoglycemia unpredictably in seemingly healthy individuals in whom it may masquerade as spontaneous hypoglycemia. Unless the true cause is identified when the patient is first seen, fruitless and expensive overinvestigation may ensue. The most important drugs are discussed herein and brief mention made of those for which coincidence has not been eliminated.