Hypoglycemia consists of a decrease in blood glucose.The rate is obtained by performing capillary glycemia.
It is considered that we are facing hypoglycemia when the blood glucose rate is less than 70 mg/dl and is accompanied by symptoms, which reverse after sugars.
Types of hypoglycemia
We can classify hypoglycemia as a function of its gravity, from a slight degree to a situation of loss of consciousness.
• Mild-moderate: the patient notices the symptoms and, he himself is able to be treated.
• Severe: The patient requires another person's help to correct the situation.
• Hypoglycemic coma: the patient is unconscious.
Another classification is the night hypoglycemia that appears during sleep.The symptoms of important sweating, nightmares, restlessness and morning headache plus an occasional morning hyperglycemia, interspersed with glycemia too tight the previous days, should make us suspect.If this complication was suspected, it would be advisable to glymia at 03:00 or 04:00 in the morning and make the precise adjustments.
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Symptoms in mild/moderate or severe hypoglycemia.
At this time, blood glucose should not be less than 65 mg/dl.
Why can I have hypoglycemia
There are several causes for this to happen:
• Excess insulin.
• Delay or decrease in food intake (CH).
• Increased physical exercise.
• Intense sexual relations.
• Excess alcohol.
What do we feel before hypoglycemia
The symptoms of hypoglycemia are very diverse and do not occur in the same way in all people with diabetes, or in each episode.It is very important that each diabetic identifies when hypoglycemia begins and its reactions to it, to be able to solve it for itself.
The symptoms that appear are:
Mild/moderate hypoglycemia
Dizziness paleness
Cold sweating
Tickles
Shaking
Nervousness
Anxiety
Palpitations
Intense hunger
Blurred vision
Headache
Severe hypoglycemia
Double vision
Confusion
Behavior alteration
Word alteration (diabetic drunkenness)
Sleepiness
Seizures
Coma
There are times when warning symptoms appear although blood glucose is low.In that case, the hair glycemia must be measured again and, if confirmed, treat it as indicated in the following section.
If we suspect hypoglycemia and it is not possible to check - for example when we lack a meter or strips system - it is advisable to treat the situation as if it were hypoglycemia.
What to do a hypoglycemia
• If you have a possibility, a hair glycemia should be done quickly and act.In case of doubt, we must act as if the hypoglycemia were confirmed.
• Take without delay CH that elevate glucose quickly28.
- 100 ml of natural juice or sugar (two lumps or an envelope).
- 75 ml of tail drink or 10 g of pure glucose29.
• The take-after 15-30 minutes should be repeated if symptoms and/or glycemia persist below 70 mg/dl.
• Subsequently, take cho to raise glucose more slowly and prolonged, to avoid relapses.
- 1 or 2 pieces of fruit, or, from 2 to 4 María cookies.
- 20-40 g of bread or 2 to 4 slices of toasted bread.
- 2 glasses of milk or 1 glass of milk + 2 cookies María.
• If the patient has lost consciousness, you never have to give food for mouth.We must inject glucagon and contact the health team (telephone: 112).Remain expectant for 5-10 minutes and if the recovery of consciousness does not occur, administer glucagon again.
• In case of not having glucagon, sugar or honey paste with your fingers could be applied by the internal part of the mouth or under the tongue andContact the health team as soon as possible.
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Do not take muffins, cakes etc.because its fat content slows the absorption of carbohydrates.Candies do not always have the recommended amount of sucrose to trace hypoglycemia.
There are tablets of 2.5 and 5 g of glucose in the market.Commercial name of the glucagon container: Glucagen® Hypokit 1 mg.
Notes to take into account
• If hypoglycemia is due to alcohol consumption, injected glucagon is not effective.In this case, the Emergency Department must be contacted to receive health care.
• All diabetics treated with insulin must have at home a glucagon 30 container and always carry sugars (juices, queues, pure glucose).
• It is very important that family members and people close to the diabetic know how hypoglycemia manifests and how it is solved.
• It is essential to analyze the cause of hypoglycemia to be able to avoid it in future sometimes.
• Hypoglycemia in a trained patient is easy to correct, therefore, health education is very important.
• The severity of hypoglycemia will depend more on the activity that is being performed (conduct, climb, submarineism, etc.), than on hypoglycemia itself.Exercise should not be carried out until the total recovery of hypoglycemia.
• Although in general the episodes of hypoglycemia are solved without major complications and are not serious, it is necessary to remember that, they could be in young children and people with a history of infarcts or elderly.In these groups we must extreme care to avoid this complication.
Better diabetes control implies undoubted long -term benefit.
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Good morning and a very affectionate greeting to all
Ana Mari