Hypoglycaemic shock: normal or abnormal response to injury?

We report a case of hypoglycaemic shock which occurred in a patient 18 h after injury. The patient was involved in a road traffic accident and sustained multiple rib fractures and bruising in the (R) lumbar region. Eleven hours after his last meal he developed sudden weakness, profuse sweating, air hunger, thirst, disorientation and suddenly lapsed into coma 18 h after admission. Administration of 50 ml of 50% dextrose resulted in immediate restoration of consciousness. This case shows that this complication can occur in trauma patients even though the metabolic response to trauma is usually assumed to be hyperglycaemic.