What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?

 

Low blood sugar 

    Low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia) is the presence of low levels of sugar in the blood, and sugar is the main source of energy in the body, and the reasons leading to hypoglycemia differ. Some of them are related to the medications used to treat diabetes, and some of them are not linked With diabetes. 

Low blood sugar occurs as a result of an imbalance between the glucagon hormones and insulin.

    Insulin is the hormone that helps the body take advantage of glucose or sugar in food to supply the body with energy or to store glucose. Until needed, it regulates sugar levels within normal limits, As for glucagon, it is a hormone that is opposite to its function of insulin. It is excreted as a reaction when sugar drops in the body, and in cases where the body needs more sugar, such as doing strong exercises.

    When the sugar drops to about eighty mg / deciliter in the blood , the insulin level drops to a degree that prevents hypoglycemia, but when the blood sugar level drops further, the glucagon hormone, the body's first line of defense against a very low blood sugar level, rises, and the epinephrine hormon is considered The second hormone that fights hypoglycemia, Epinephrine, and cortisol and other catecholamines also play a role.  

Symptoms of low blood sugar 

    When the blood sugar level reaches below 50 mg / dL, symptoms of hypoglycaemia begin to appear, and the brain is primarily affected because of this, because the brain relies mainly on sugar for energy, except in the case of fasting in which the brain uses keto-bodies as a source of energy, and unlike the rest of the body, the brain does not benefit from free fatty acids as an energy source.

Some of the symptoms that can appear on a patient when hypoglycemia is as follows: 

• Heart palpitations . 
• General fatigue. 
• Pallor of the skin . 
• Shivering. 
• Increased sweating. 
• Feeling hungry. 
• Emotion. 
• Sensation of tingling around the mouth . 
• Crying or screaming during sleep. 
• Headache. 
• Feeling dizzy . 
• Feeling anxious. 

When the person 's condition worsens, and decreases the level of sugar in more and more blood, can appear on the patient 's symptoms are also the following: 

• Cramps. 
• Confusion and a change in the behavior of the patient, such as the person can not complete his routine tasks. 
• Visual disturbances , such as blurred vision. 
• Loss of consciousness . 
• When the blood sugar level is too low, a person can act like a drunk.

Causes of hypoglycemia 

There are several reasons for hypoglycemia, including the following: 

• Low sugar due to taking large amounts of insulin.Certain critical illnesses, such as acute hepatitis, kidney disorders, and prolonged hunger that can occur in an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. 
• Carbohydrate metabolism disorders in the body, and these disorders are usually diagnosed at a young age. 
• Adrenal insufficiency. 
• Drinking alcohol in large quantities, as drinking alcohol without eating can prevent the liver from releasing the glucose stored in it into the bloodstream, which leads to hypoglycemia.
• Insulinoma.

Diagnosis and tests for hypoglycemia 

    Low blood sugar is diagnosed by three criteria, often referred to as Whipple's triad, and includes the following criteria or factors: 

• Signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia: These symptoms and pathological signs may not appear when visiting a doctor, so the doctor may ask the patient to fast throughout the night or for a longer period of time, until symptoms of hypoglycemia begin to appear so that the doctor can diagnose the patient. It is also possible for the patient to need fasting inside the hospital for a longer period, and in the event that the level of sugar falls after eating the meal, the level of sugar should be checked after eating the meal. 
• Documenting a drop in blood glucose when signs and symptoms appear by drawing a blood sample for testing in the laboratory. 
• Diseases and symptoms disappear when high blood sugar.

 In addition to these criteria, the doctor can examine the patient clinically and review his medical history.

Treating hypoglycemia

    The patient is treated when the blood sugar level drops initially to raise the sugar level, then the cause that caused the patient's blood sugar level to drop is prevented to prevent a recurrence of the condition. As for immediate treatment, it depends on the symptoms that appear on the patient; the initial symptoms are treated by By eating 15 g to 20 g of fast-acting carbohydrates that quickly turn into sugar in the body such as fruit juice or sugars, and regular soft drinks; that is, they contain sugar, sugar tablets or sugar jelly, knowing that it is not good in this case to eat proteins Or fats because it can slow absorption The sugar body. After 15 minutes, the blood sugar level must be re-examined, and if blood sugar levels are still below 70 mg / dL, the patient is provided with another 15 to 20 g of Fast-acting carbohydrates , after which the blood sugar level test is repeated after 15 minutes. This process is repeated until the blood sugar level rises above 70 mg / dL. 

    When the blood sugar level becomes normal, it is important to eat a main or light meal to stabilize the blood sugar level, and replenish the glucagon stock that could have been depleted during the hypoglycemic episode. If the symptoms are severe, and this leads to the patient's inability to eat carbohydrates through his mouth, the patient may need to be provided with glucose intravenously or injected with glucagon, so the person who is unconscious should not be given food through his mouth because it can inhale and reach the lungs. People with severe hypoglycemia should acquire a glucagon kit, and relatives and friends of the patient should be taught how to give the patient an injection of glucagon when an emergency hypoglycemic occurs.

    To prevent the recurrence of hypoglycemia, the underlying cause of the hypoglycemia must be known by the doctor and treatment of the cause. If the cause is medications, discuss with the doctor to regulate the insulin dose or the medication that causes hypoglycemia, but if the reason is a tumor in the pancreas, for example , The tumor is surgically removed, and in some cases the doctor may have to remove part of the pancreas.