Biochemical hypoglycemia in female nurses during clinical shift work

Female nurses in Japan commonly experience symptoms similar to those of hypoglycemia while working. Biochemical hypoglycemia can lead to impaired cognition; thus, it is important to know the prevalence of biochemical hypoglycemia among nurses. Five hundred and sixty‐eight female nurses (53% of the target population) in four hospitals completed questionnaires. They determined their blood glucose levels 12 times, at four points during three shifts. Fifty‐seven nurses (10%) recorded biochemical hypoglycemia (≤3.0 mM) at least once. Multivariate analysis revealed three independent risk factors for hypoglycemia: higher coefficient of variation of blood glucose level, lower body mass index, and not smoking. Subjective symptoms were not associated with hypoglycemia. More research on hypoglycemia is needed in order to improve working environment for nurses.