Hypoglycemia, or a drop in blood sugar levels is no less dangerous than increasing it. This disease is one of the complications of type 2 diabetes. At sharp jumps of a glucose at the patient the fast deterioration of a condition is observed, there can be a coma or in rare cases a fatal outcome.
Causes of sugar fall in patients with type 2 diabetes
Statistically, of the total number of patients with diabetes, about 80% suffer from a second type of disease. With insulin-dependent diabetes, the pancreas produces enough insulin, but the body does not react to it to the fullest. As a result, glucose accumulates in the blood, but does not enter the cells of the body. In type 2 diabetics, blood sugar is lowered, unlike insulin-dependent diabetes. An additional sharp drop in glucose can occur as a result of the following reasons:
- Eating food with lots of simple carbohydrates. Patients with diabetes should be prepared for the fact that all their lives they will have to adhere to a certain diet. It is chosen by the attending physician and depends on the individual indicators of the patient. Simple carbohydrates are found in milk, confectionery, some fruits and vegetables. They are very quickly digested in the body, and the feeling of hunger appears after a couple of hours. Unspent carbohydrates are converted to adipose tissue.
- Simultaneous taking of medications from diabetes and alcoholic beverages. Strong alcohol reduces the level of glucose in the blood, and the symptoms of hypoglycemia are similar to those of alcoholic intoxication. Alcohol blocks the action of the medicine and this threatens diabetics with serious consequences.
- Abuse of alcoholic beverages. Every diabetic knows that with his illness, drinking alcohol can have serious consequences. If a person drinks at home, does not do any physical exercises, ate it all with a sweet cake with tea, then in principle there should not be any complications. However, the situation changes radically, if a diabetic drank at a party, then walked a couple of kilometers on foot, did not eat sweet at all, the likelihood of hypoglycemia is very high.
- Large time interval for the next meal. The diet of a diabetic patient should consist of small portions, approximately five to six times a day. If a person adheres to a compiled menu and a constant time of eating, there should not be sudden jumps in blood glucose. However, if you skip one meal, the sugar level may drop significantly. For example, in the theater or on the street there is not accepted, but a sweet candy to have in your pocket for such a case is simply necessary.
- Overdose of a single dose of insulin. The program of insulin therapy is made in conjunction with the attending physician, and any deviation from the individual norm may negatively affect the health of the patient, for example, hypoglycemia may occur.
- Great physical activity. Insulin therapy and carbohydrate diet are selected individually for each patient. But in any case, all this is calculated on the basis that a person experiences stable physical activity - slow running, swimming, fast walking. But excessive loads can completely erase the entire selected course of treatment. Therefore, do not abuse physical education, let the load will be constant and in small quantities.
What is dangerous is the drop in blood sugar
With a sharp drop in glucose in the blood, hypoglycemia occurs. The brain suffers from it first. This human organ is very complicated, and the slightest failure in its work can cause irreparable damage to the entire body. With the help of blood, the cells of the brain, the neurons, are delivered with all the necessary nutrients. The nature is arranged so that glucose enters the brain cells without the help of insulin. Thus, regardless of the amount of insulin in the body, neurons are insured against glucose starvation. With hypoglycemia, the brain does not receive the necessary amount of sugar, and the energy starvation of neurons begins. That's why it's so serious the sharp decrease in sugar in the blood. The process of starving the cells occurs within a few minutes, and already this period of time is enough for a person to feel confusion and fell into a hypoglycemic coma. From the processes that take place in the brain during coma, it depends on what consequences the patient will be overtaken.
With type 2 diabetes, each patient has his own individual lower limit of blood glucose. Doctors are repelled from the average statistic of 3 mmol / l.
Symptoms of blood sugar level fall
Glucose drop can not pass unnoticed for the patient, there are several symptoms specific to this condition:
- Zero phase. There is a feeling of hunger, and it is so easy that the patient can not understand - it is true or false. In this case, an indispensable assistant will be a glucometer that will help to determine if the blood sugar level decreases or not. If the indicator begins to fall and approaches the 4 mmol / l mark, then this is the first sign of hypoglycemia. For the normalization of the state, it is enough to eat a piece of sugar and drink it with apple juice.
- First phase. Explicit feeling of hunger. In order to stop the approach of hypoglycemia in time - it is necessary to eat a lot of fruits, dairy products, bread. If there is no possibility to have a bite, the patient starts to sweat, in the legs there is weakness, trembling in the knees, headache, skin becomes pale. The symptoms are so obvious that the onset of hypoglycemia can not be missed. The first phase can still be corrected - the mind is slightly clouded, but a person is quite capable of chewing a piece of sugar or drinking sweet soda.
- The second phase. With the onset of the second phase, the state of the diabetic is rapidly deteriorating. The patient's tongue grows numb, speech becomes indistinct, in the eyes of two. If a person is still conscious, he simply needs to drink any sweet drink. About a piece of sugar have to forget - there is a great chance to choke. If the process is not stopped in time, a third phase will occur, in which a piece of sugar or soda will not help.
- Third phase. At the onset of phase 3, a person loses consciousness and falls into a coma. How serious the consequences of the unconscious state will be, depends on others and their ability to provide first aid. When 3 phases come, events usually develop in two directions:
- A person who knows what to do in this situation is next to a diabetic. First of all, it is necessary to clean the victim's mouth of food and not try to pour his drink violently. Next, the ambulance crew is called, and while she goes she can put a small piece of sugar under the tongue of the patient. Usually to diabetics, who have lost consciousness, the ambulance comes quickly. Doctors make a shot of glucose intravenously, and then it remains to hope for a successful outcome.
- If a diabetic is unlucky and he has lost consciousness next to strangers who do not know about his illness. While ambulance rides, while they are trying to figure out the cause of the unconscious state - precious minutes go away. All this time, the brain experiences oxygen starvation and the consequences can be the most horrible.
Treatment of hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is dangerous because brain cells die within a few minutes. The sooner measures are taken to normalize the patient's condition, the greater the chances of getting out of the situation with the least losses. Currently, there are drugs that can alleviate the symptoms of acute sugar reduction. These are medications from a series of beta-blockers.
In order to stop the approaching decrease in sugar in time, the following techniques can be used:
- Use sugar of "fast" action - loose sugar or lump sugar. You can also drink sweet tea with honey or jam;
- Eat sugar, and after a couple of minutes snack it with an apple and lie down. In the zero and the first phase, this will be enough to stop the attack;
- With the help of "instant" sugar, it is possible to prevent only an acute attack, but then there will come a second wave of hypoglycemia. To avoid it, you need to eat any "slow" sugar, for example, a roll with butter.
If fainting has not been avoided, an injection with glucose, which is administered intravenously by a doctor, can help.
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes is dangerous for lowering blood glucose. Diabetics with experience already feel the approach of an impending attack of hypoglycemia and at the initial stage are quite capable of dying it. Why does sugar fall in the blood of type 2 diabetics? The reasons can be set: the use of alcohol, deviation from a diet, sharp increase in physical activity. To exclude the fall in glucose levels, you must strictly follow the recommendations of the doctor and keep under constant control sugar. Do not be frightened by the approaching attack - at the initial stage it is much easier to cope with it.
