Abstract
We report 3 patients in whom severe hypoglycemia was frequent from 50 years of age, with a 44-year-plus history of type 1 diabetes mellitus developing in childhood. Patient 1, a 53-year-old woman, developed diabetes mellitus in November 1959 at the age of 6 years. Since March 2002 at the age of 48 years, she has experienced frequent hypoglycemia with loss of consciousness. Patient 2, a 53-year-old woman developed diabetes mellitus in December 1962 at the age of 9 years. Since June 2002 at the age of 48 years, she has experienced frequent hypoglycemia with loss of consciousness. Patient 3, a 52-year-old woman, developed diabetes mellitus in September 1959 at the age of 4 years. Since December 2005 at the age of 51 years, she has experienced frequent hypoglycemia with loss of consciousness. Hypoglycemia became severe in these patients at the climacteric. In patient 2, autonomic neuropathy may have been additionally involved. Some woman with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus frequently show severe hypoglycemia from about 50 years of age (climacteric), emphasizing the need for close, careful management in their treatment.
