Vnitr Lek 2025, 71(4):256-259 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2025.046

Sweet desire for the white coat and the sweetness of the blood of medical students - case report

Natália Michalcová¹, Petra Toušková¹, Ema Povolná¹, Julie Suchá¹, Juraj Michalec¹, Jana Urbanová², Svatava Krejčová³, Jan Brož¹

¹ Interní klinika, 2. LF UK a FN Motol, Praha

² Interní klinika, 3. LF UK a FN Královské Vinohrady, Praha

³ Oddělení klinické psychologie, FN Motol, Praha

Stress is often described as a risk factor for developing various diseases. However, a relatively less explored area is the effect of stress on glucose levels, and thus potentially on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, in generally healthy young individuals who are exposed to stress regularly. This case report describes the glycaemic trends over 14 days in a 23-year-old medical student while preparing for an exam and the dermatology exam itself. Values measured by the FreeStyle Libre 2 device were within the physiological range most of the time, with expected increases after meals and physical activity. Otherwise, glycaemia had a relatively stable trend within expected values, except for a few hours before the exam when it began to rise. The observed student experienced an increase in glycaemia up to 8,2 mmol/l, most likely in response to acute stress.

Keywords: stress, medical students, exams, hyperglycemia.

Accepted: June 3, 2025; Published: June 19, 2025  Show citation