Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

The options that are given are:

1) offer water
2) offer sugar
3) drive person to hospital
4) encourage them take slow breathes

please answer ASAP

Although your previous respondents have correctly stated the difference between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia I’ve a strong suspicion that you’re asking what you need to do if you find someone in a diabetic state that you don’t know whether they’re having a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event.

What you need to do is give them sugar, preferably stirred up in some water as this makes it easier to break down during the digestive process … unless they’re unconscious. If they are unconscious you telephone for an ambulance immediately. (There’s a very real danger that if you try to give anything orally, that the sufferer MAY choke to death.) Paramedics would first check the patient’s blood glucose level then decide what to do from then on. (If the person is hypoglycemic they would either give a glucagon injection or a glucose injection. Glucagon would be given intramuscularly. This stimulates the liver to release some of it’s stores of glycogen … the way it stores glucose … back int the bloodstream. Glucose injections are given intravenously. This puts glucose directly into the bloodstream.)

Hypoglycemia (lower than ‘normal’ blood glucose levels) is more immediately dangerous than hyperglycemia. Someone suffering a hypoglycemic event could easily slip into unconsciousness, leading to coma or death in a very short space of time, whereas hyperglycemia tends to evolve of many hours or even days. (You can also fall into unconsciousness, leading to coma and death with hyperglycemia, but as I say, it MAY take several days.)

Both situations are classed as emergency situations, but treatment for hypoglycemia tends to be more rapid, and may resolve in a matter of minutes or hours. Hyperglycemia would normally require hospital admission, and require the patient to be put on a drip of both saline and insulin.

Given the options that you have been given, if the patient is conscious, give sugar … even if you’re not sure of what’s happening with them. You must always err on the side of caution. i.e. treat which more immediately threatening.

oops that should be hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia

They would be likely to develop either one. They are dependent on getting exact doses of insulin matched to their food intake and level of exercise. If the situation is right (or wrong) they can develop hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia within minutes.

Hypoglycemia = low blood sugar levels = caused by too much insulin, too little food or physical activity
Hyperglycemia = high blood sugar levels = caused by too much food, too little insulin or stress

Hi, I have been looking to find more information on hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar); I have found some causes but I am wondering which illnesses and/or infections cause it. Thanks.
What causes it for those who are NOT diabetic

A high proportion of patients suffering an acute stress such as stroke or myocardial infarction (heart attack) may develop hyperglycemia, even in the absence of a diagnosis of diabetes. Human and animal studies suggest that this is not benign, and that stress-induced hyperglycemia is associated with a high risk of mortality after both stroke and myocardial infarction.

Plasma glucose >120 mg/dl in the absence of diabetes is a clinical sign of sepsis (blood infection).

Physical trauma, surgery and many forms of severe stress can temporarily increase glucose levels.

Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if not treated in time. In untreated hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when the body does not have enough insulin. Without insulin, the body isn’t able to utilize the glucose for fuel, so the body starts to breaks down fats for energy.

When the body breaks down fats, it produces a waste product called ketones. The body cannot tolerate large quantity of ketones and will try to remove it through the urine. Unfortunately, the body is not able to remove all the ketones and thus they build up in the blood stream, which can lead to ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is life-threatening condition which needs immediate treatment. Symptoms include: shortness of breath, breath that smells fruity, nausea and vomiting, and very dry mouth.

Hope this helps.

Besides the above answer, which has good, sound advice, you can also eat trail mix as a snack

The pancreas pretty much does as it’s instructed to do. It’s rarely dysfunctional except in the case of pancreatitis or type 1diabetes. In the case of hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) the pancreas is putting out too much insulin. In the case of hyperglycemia, it’s not putting out enough insulin or the cells are resistant to the insulin. But in each case, it’s not the fault of the pancreas. It’s just not getting the right instructions.

The pancreas is involved but in particular the Islet of Langerhans cells within the pancreas. There are different types of cells within these Islets. The different types of cells produce different hormones including insulin, somatostatin, amylin, glucagon and Ghrelin. The hormones involved with glucose homeostatis are Insulin and Glucagon. Insulin causes cells in the liver to uptake glucose out of the blood stream and store it as Glycogen. Glucagon has the opposite to Insulin. So if someone if having a hypoglycaemic attack, an immediate injection of Glucagon causes the Liver’s Stores of glucose to be released and help return the blood glucose levels to normal. However, after this someone should be given a sugary snack to replace these lost glucose stores.

How long does the disorder last usually?

Hypo means Low Blood sugars. Hyper Means High..This usualy means you are diabetic, the life expectancy of a diabetic is the same of any human so long as you treat the condition and look after youself.

I am aware that ketosis occurs in juvenile diabetes or the Insulin Dependant type, but why are the ketone bodies produced??
And what does liver damge have to do with hypoglycemia?

Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy or when you don’t eat enough carbs or you get too low of a blood sugar. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine. These ketones can make you very sick.

Ketone bodies can be used for energy. Ketone bodies are transported from the liver to other tissues, where acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate can be reconverted to acetyl-CoA to produce energy, via the citric acid cycle.

Hope this helps!

When you go to the doctor and they check your sugar level before you eat anything: what is the difference between a person blood sugar level who has hypoglycemia and a person who does not?

and the difference between a person who has hyperglycemia and a person who doesn’t?

like what are the number differences, btw my doctor said i have hypo

Hypo is slow. Hyper is fast. 100 is average

I’m a little confused because I saw something where someone had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) but they had a huge amount of water by their bed. I thought you drank alot of water when you had hyperglycemia. Thanks!

The amount of water has nothing to do with blood glucose levels except in that someone with high glucose levels may make you thirsty. Diabetics blood glucose levels vary during the day just like a healthy person if they are on insulin/tablets and then do not have enough food to counteract the effect then they will become Hypoglycemic. If on the other hand you have to much food or not enough insulin/medication then they will become hyperglycemic.