Hypoglycemia - How We Deal with It

What Is Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the medical term used to describe a state of lower level of blood glucose.  It produces different symptoms and effects resulting from inadequate supply of glucose to the brain and it leads to impairment of brain function. 

The effects can range from mild change in mood to more serious issues such as seizures, permanent brain damage or even death.

Causes?

It's usually a complication of the treatment of diabetes by insulin or oral hypoglycemics. Low blood glucose is less common in non-diabetic persons, but can occur at any age. 

There are rare causes of hypoglycemia ranging from excessive insulin produced in the body "common with cancer of pancreas", inborn errors of metabolism, medications, hormone deficiencies, prolonged starvation and organ failure.

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia

There are wide range of symptoms of hypoglycemia. It's rare to see all of these symptoms in one patients. And the strength of these symptoms depend on the level of glucose. The lower the level, the more prominent symptoms.

• Anxiety, nervousness
• Palpitations
• Sweating, feeling of warmth
• Pallor, coldness, clamminess
• Dilated pupils
• Feeling of numbness
• Sense of hunger
• Nausea, vomiting
• Headache
• Personality change, emotional lability
• Abnormal speech
• Convulsions

How to deal with patient suffering from hypoglycemia

It's very important to recognize the previous symptoms and to interact as fast as you could as the patient of hypoglycemia usually doesn't have much time. Time is extremely precious.

Recognize the condition

Call for help

If the patient is drowsy and can drink

if the patient's condition allow him to drinks. we must give him/her and drink with excess sugar dissolved in it.

If the patient is unconscious and can't drink

In this case; Never to force the patient to drink as the fluid given to him would enter his lungs rather than his stomach

We just put sugar under his tongue or just on inner side of his lips.

After the patient recurs from the attack >>> SEEK MEDICAL HELP INSTANTLY