Somogyi effect

The Somogyi effect (English Somogyi phenomena ), also called rebound hyperglycemia or posthypoglycemic hyperglycemia , is a dysregulation of the blood sugar level that occurs in diabetics . Excessive counter-regulation, especially through the release of glucagon and stress hormones ( adrenaline , cortisol ), leads to excessive blood sugar levels after hypoglycaemia . The effect is named after the person who first described it, the US- American biochemist Michael Somogyi (1883–1971) from Hungary .

Typical is a high reading in the morning after nocturnal (unnoticed) hypoglycaemia . If the effect is not taken into account, the diabetic could increase the insulin dose even further, even though it is actually already too high.

In human medical practice, true rebound hyperglycaemia is rare in insulin therapy . Much more frequently, the high fasting blood sugar is the result of a real insulin deficiency in the early morning (between 4 and 8 a.m.), because the insulin injected in the evening is broken down and at the same time its effect is reduced by the morning release of growth hormone (→ dawn phenomenon ). In veterinary medicine , the Somogyi effect plays a major role , especially in diabetes in cats .