Hypoglycemia is a decrease in blood glucose below 2.8 mmol / L.
Mild hypoglycemia is not dangerous, but in order to prevent the likelihood of a deterioration in the patient’s health, it is important to take the necessary measures right away. This is because further lowering blood sugar levels can lead to disorientation and fainting. It should be remembered that even mild hypoglycemia, diabetes is unfavorable for brain cells.
The main signs of hypoglycemia:
- acute hunger – “ravenous appetite”
- excessive sweating (most often in the upper torso and in the back of the head)
- trembling in the limbs, internal trembling
- emotional disorders (aggressiveness, irritability, or even euphoria)
- pallor of skin
- headache, feeling of numbness around the mouth (paresthesia)
- weakness, dizziness
- disorientation, confusion
- blurred vision
With any form of hypoglycemia, it is important to normalize or increase blood glucose as quickly as possible. When the first symptoms occur, you must immediately take 20-30 grams. pure sugar or other carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed. Therefore, every person with diabetes should take a few lumps of sugar or a small packet of juice with them when leaving the house. Why is sugar necessary, and not chocolate or, for example, bread? Unlike other carbohydrate foods, sugar is absorbed as quickly as possible, which means that it instantly increases the level of glucose in the blood. Foods such as bread, cereals, chocolate, potatoes are slowly absorbed carbohydrates, and they act much more slowly. For the maximum convenience of diabetic patients, Dextro4 fastactionglucose hypoglycemia compensating candies have been developed containing only fruit / berry juice and natural dextrose.
There is also such a thing as false hypoglycemia . If for a long time the sugar level significantly exceeds normal, and then sharply drops to normal or to such indicators that do not greatly exceed the level of the renal threshold, then “false” hypoglycemia may occur.
What are the causes of “false hypoglycemia”? If a person with diabetes mellitus has had an elevated blood glucose level for a long time, then his body begins to get used to such a sugar level and to normal sugar levels react as hypoglycemia. The patient begins to feel trembling in the limbs, weakness. In this case, it is urgent to take additional “fast” carbohydrates. Set, false or true is hypoglycemia, will only measurement of blood sugar levels, to carry out that today there are special devices – Glucose : Clover Chek ( CleverChek ) TD-4209, Contour the TS, OneTouchSelectSimple , Entrast and others.
But at the same time, the patient must conclude that his diabetes compensation is not perfect, which means that it is necessary to adjust the therapy and more often control blood sugar, which will help to achieve an improvement in the course of diabetes.