Hypoglycemic Encephalopathy in a 46-Year-Old Patient Following Sulfonylurea Overdose: A Case Report

Hypoglycemic encephalopathy is defined by coma or altered consciousness in patients with a blood glucose level below 50 mg/dl persisting for more than 24 hours despite normalization of glucose levels, without any other obvious cause [1]. It is a rare but serious complication with a mortality rate that can reach 50%, often associated with visible structural anomalies on Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [2]. We report the case of a 46-year-old patient admitted to the intensive care unit for altered consciousness secondary to voluntary sulfonylurea overdose. The MRI performed on the seventh day of hospitalization revealed bilateral cortico-subcortical and basal ganglia abnormalities characteristic of hypoglycemic encephalopathy. The clinical course was marked by a progressive improvement in neurological status.