Part 11. Coma due to hypoglycemia
1. Definition.
When your blood sugar drops below normal, your body stops working properly. Most people with diabetes feel sick when their blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dl. Symptoms can be physical or mental and come on quickly.
2.Cause:
Common causes of hypoglycemia include:
• Using too much diabetes medication (or insulin)
• Irregular eating habits
• Skip main meals or snacks
• Move more than usual.
• Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach.
3. Symptoms:
When your blood sugar drops too low, you may have symptoms like:
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Tired
• Feeling hungry
• Rapid heartbeat
• Blurred vision or headache
• Numbness in the mouth and lips
• Irritability, confusion
• Faint.
4. How to handle:
Hypoglycemia is usually easy to treat. If you think your blood sugar might be low, test your blood. If your blood sugar is lower than 70 mg/dl (or the minimum your doctor recommends), you should immediately eat or drink something containing sugar (about 15 grams of carbohydrate). Sugar will raise your blood sugar more quickly than other foods.
Dr. Nguyen Van Hoan (Director of Provincial Endocrinology Hospital)
