Hypoglycemia unawareness- Drowning with the anchor

We had a guest over at our home few days back, we were having a nice time, had tea together with some buscuits , As our friend is a Diabetic obviously the tea was without sugar and light diet buscuits with lot of fibres only accompanied, our friend refused to have dinner he said he was having some stomach problem since the morning , wasn't feeling like eating at all and had very light lunch as well because of the same reason.... Well knowing him well we did'nt press too much. As the time went by we noticed he started behaving strangely.. Started speaking ( we thought opening secrets') about some common friends, talking in a manner utterly uncompatible with himself- we've known since years as one of the most humble and respectable persons.. I could sense something was wrong. Then to our utter surprise he put his legs on the table and started angrily shouting about a politician..I knew now for sure something was gravely wrong! Either this was hypoglycemia or he was undergoing a stroke, we immdiately checked his capillary glucose it showed 30 by glucometer. This gentleman was still talking, sitting moving about..Had we not known him for so long we would have accepted him just as an angry man.
Even after giving 300 gms of glucose by mouth his capillary levels did not rise beyond 60, we finally gave him intravenous glucose and he was back to his normal self just in 15 min, Utterly surprised to the surroundings of a hospital emergency- he was absolutely unaware of whatever had happened, even though outwardly he'd been conscious all the time.

Very often this is what is felt by friends and family members of Diabetics who have been having uncontrolled diabetes for a long time, rarely this may end in a tragedy , because of coma or accidents.
Glucose is the principal form of energy required by brain, it cannot function without glucose which it must derive from blood as it does not have any sources of its own. If the level of glucose starts falling down below a critical level, the glucose counter regulatory system comes into action which releases blood glucose from stores in the body like liver, kidney muscles, causes outward manifestations like hunger, palpitations, sweating, headache which make the seek food and help.
These systems and their manifestations are controlled by the autonomic Nervous system, which is adversely affected by the continued damage of high blood glucose and other changes which happen in longstanding Diabetes. Since the person whose sugar levels are falling pricipitously doesn't get any warning signals he doesn't act and blood glucose keeps dropping like an anchor, this is termed as Hypoglycemia Unawareness. All the systems which ahve been put in place by nature to counter this simply do not activate.
click here to read more about Diabetic Neuropathy, theres a lot to it than just Hypoglycemia unawareness.

Act fast to Prevent Heart Disease

Every person affected with Diabetes or even mild forms of Glucose intolerance ( borderline blood sugar levels) is at higher risks for developing Heart diseases like coronary artery disease, Heart attacks and cardiomyopathies.

If other complications of Diabetes like those of eyes, kidneys, nerves etc. may take a long time to occur, complications of heart may happen at much earlier stages.

We Indians are more affected by these because of the inherent sizes of our tummies. Deposistion of fats under the abdomen makes us more insulin resistant which causes a chain of events leading to deposition of cholesterol in large and small arteries ( blood vessels supplying fresh oxygenated blood) to all vital organs including the heart itself. The depositions affect the walls of the arteries and may cause formation of blood clots which may lead to blockages of vessels supplying blood to heart , brain or kidneys leading to disastrous events like Heart Attacks, Stroke.

Complications of Heart start even before Blood Sugar has risen above the critical levels - which would make the Diagnosis of Diabetes. Progression of Diabetes is a constant process, in Type II Diabetes, the prominent cause of Diabetes in India - Insulin becomes less effective as a result pancreas produce more insulin to decrease the same amount of rise in blood sugar, but as the disease progresses the pancreas are not able to produce sufficient insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal and hence the rise in sugar levels either fasting or after meals. But the high levels of insulin increase Cholesterol and triglycerides which become the main culprits in causing heart diseases like angina and heart attacks.

But all this can be prevented by early initiation of exercise and diet programmes which decrease weight, increase insulin sensitivity, and delay progress of diabetes.



for more on Diabetes : Diabetes Total control