Hypoglycemia - Low Blood Sugar
Low Blood Sugar is a pathological condition resulting to the low blood sugar level. This medical term literally means “under-sweet blood.” It has a significant variety of symptoms and signs although its primary threat is a huge effect of the insufficiency glucose supply as a fuel to brain. This condition will result to sever functional impairment of the brain called neuroglycopenia. Unpleasant malfunctioning of the brain can be as simple as just a “bad condition” to more complex situations like comatose and, in rare conditions, permanent damage of the brain or even death.
Low Blood Sugar can also affect non-diabetic patients. These are some possible causes. One is to accidentally drink oral medications for diabetics. Excessive alcohol drinking can impede the production of glucose, which depletes your body’s supply of glycogen. There are also severe illnesses that can contribute to the development of hypoglycemia. Drug-induced hepatitis is one.
This is because the liver is a primary organ in the production of glucose. A kidney failure, meanwhile, can affect your glucose level. Too much dieting that can result to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa may deplete the supply of substances that your body requires to undergo gluconeogenesis.
The endocrine system are composed of glands that secrete hormones that control various body processes. Certain disorders affecting the adrenal and pituitary glands can contribute in an inadequacy of primary hormones that control glucose production. These normally occurs more in children than in adults.
Certain tumors may not cause insulin overproduction but then utilize glucose, which later on results to overproduction of substances similar to insulin.
Hypoglycemia signs and symptoms may not be uncommon. The best way to know if they are leading to hypoglycemia is to seek medical advice. Nevertheless, these are its symptoms:
* Tremor
* Sweating
* Anxiety
* Heart palpitations
* Hunger
Since your brain requires a constant supply of glucose, hypoglycemia may have the following effects on the vital organ:
* Visual impairment such as blurred or double vision
* Seizures
* Confusion or abnormal behavior
* Loss of consciousness
It is very important to determine the specific cause of low blood sugar in order to establish what method of treatment can be best from the patient. Doctors would usually run blood sugar and other tests to know what triggers this condition in a specific patient.
Low Blood Sugar signs and symptoms can be treated by procedures of ingestion of glucose to the body or through the aid of hypoglycemia diet which is composed of foods digestible to the glucose forms. For example, a snack or a drink containing sugar will immediately increase the blood-glucose level, which will result in a quick improvement of the symptoms being experienced. When, however, the blood sugar level
becomes critically low and the patient becomes unconscious or can no longer swallow, a condition called insulin shock, it is important to seek emergency medical treatment. Glucose solution or glucagons hormone should be injected immediately into the patient.
Since low blood sugar is normally considered as a complication of diabetes mellitus, there may be a great need to modify one’s lifestyle in order to deal with this condition over a longer period of time.
low-blood-sugar-symptoms.
SIGNS OF LOW BLOOD SUGAR
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
Craving for Sweets
A craving for sweets and starch in excessive amounts between meals is the first sign of a low blood sugar level.
Nervousness, Irritability, Fatigue
When the blood sugar level falls much below normal, symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, fatigue, depression, disturbed vision, and headaches appear.
Sweating, Trembling, numbness
Other symptoms are sweating, trembling, numbness, absent-mindedness, dizziness, palpitations of the heart, and some sexual disturbances. Most hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar patients feel hungry and eat frequently to get over the feeling of weakness and emotional irritability. They feel tense if they have to go without food for several hours. When the patient experiences any symptoms that indicate a fall in blood sugar, he should immediately take a heaped teaspoonful of sugar and then seek medical help.
Signs of Low Blood Sugar...
hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar.
Craving for Sweets
A craving for sweets and starch in excessive amounts between meals is the first sign of a low blood sugar level.
Nervousness, Irritability, Fatigue
When the blood sugar level falls much below normal, symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, fatigue, depression, disturbed vision, and headaches appear.
Sweating, Trembling, numbness
Other symptoms are sweating, trembling, numbness, absent-mindedness, dizziness, palpitations of the heart, and some sexual disturbances. Most hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar patients feel hungry and eat frequently to get over the feeling of weakness and emotional irritability. They feel tense if they have to go without food for several hours. When the patient experiences any symptoms that indicate a fall in blood sugar, he should immediately take a heaped teaspoonful of sugar and then seek medical help.
Signs of Low Blood Sugar...
hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar.
Low Blood Sugar: A Killer For Kidney Disease Patients
Low Blood Sugar: A Killer For Kidney Disease Patients
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, poses a serious health threat for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).
The findings indicate that low blood sugar may account for some portion of the excess heart-related deaths seen in CKD patients.
Glucose control is the key to preventing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in CKD patients with diabetes. However, managing diabetes in CKD patients can be complicated, as patients' reduced kidney function can affect how they react to anti-diabetes medications. Difficulties with managing their diabetes can predispose CKD patients to episodes of low blood sugar, a condition that can cause severe health complications including dizziness, disorientation, slurred speech, convulsions, and death.
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar increased patients' risk of dying in the near term. According to the authors, there was a reduced risk of near term death in individuals with CKD relative to those without and this attenuation in the risk of death might relate to an increased quality of care in these patients with CKD relative to diabetic patients without CKD.
"The association of low blood sugar with one-day mortality underscores the significance of this metabolic disturbance in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease," said Dr. Fink. While details on therapy were not included in this study, the findings are consistent with others that have shown that putting patients on intensive glucose-lowering medications can lead to an increased incidence of hypoglycemia and does not prolong their survival.
Signs of low blood sugar..
low-blood-sugar-symptoms.
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, poses a serious health threat for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).
The findings indicate that low blood sugar may account for some portion of the excess heart-related deaths seen in CKD patients.
Glucose control is the key to preventing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in CKD patients with diabetes. However, managing diabetes in CKD patients can be complicated, as patients' reduced kidney function can affect how they react to anti-diabetes medications. Difficulties with managing their diabetes can predispose CKD patients to episodes of low blood sugar, a condition that can cause severe health complications including dizziness, disorientation, slurred speech, convulsions, and death.
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar increased patients' risk of dying in the near term. According to the authors, there was a reduced risk of near term death in individuals with CKD relative to those without and this attenuation in the risk of death might relate to an increased quality of care in these patients with CKD relative to diabetic patients without CKD.
"The association of low blood sugar with one-day mortality underscores the significance of this metabolic disturbance in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease," said Dr. Fink. While details on therapy were not included in this study, the findings are consistent with others that have shown that putting patients on intensive glucose-lowering medications can lead to an increased incidence of hypoglycemia and does not prolong their survival.
Signs of low blood sugar..
low-blood-sugar-symptoms.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Hypoglycemia or Signs of Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
Hypoglycemia or Signs of Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
Epinephrine is among the major hormones released during hypoglycemia/ low blood sugar. Epinephrine causes the majority of the early symptoms of hypoglycemia.
Common symptoms signs of low blood sugar / hypoglycemia include the following:
* trembling,
* clammy skin,
* palpitations (pounding or fast heart beats),
* anxiety,
* sweating,
* hunger, and
* irritability.
When the brain remains deprived of glucose, a later set of symptoms follows:
* difficulty in thinking,
* confusion,
* headache,
* seizures, and
* coma.
Ultimately, after significant coma or loss of consciousness, death can occur.
It is important to realize that with chronic or repeated hypoglycemia, the body does not respond as vigorously, so any hypoglycemic individual may display mild symptoms, or even experience no appreciable symptoms. Again, documentation of the blood glucose level is essential to confirm the diagnosis, with further testing to establish the specific cause if not known.
Signs of low blood sugar...
low-blood-sugar-killer-for-kidney
Epinephrine is among the major hormones released during hypoglycemia/ low blood sugar. Epinephrine causes the majority of the early symptoms of hypoglycemia.
Common symptoms signs of low blood sugar / hypoglycemia include the following:
* trembling,
* clammy skin,
* palpitations (pounding or fast heart beats),
* anxiety,
* sweating,
* hunger, and
* irritability.
When the brain remains deprived of glucose, a later set of symptoms follows:
* difficulty in thinking,
* confusion,
* headache,
* seizures, and
* coma.
Ultimately, after significant coma or loss of consciousness, death can occur.
It is important to realize that with chronic or repeated hypoglycemia, the body does not respond as vigorously, so any hypoglycemic individual may display mild symptoms, or even experience no appreciable symptoms. Again, documentation of the blood glucose level is essential to confirm the diagnosis, with further testing to establish the specific cause if not known.
Signs of low blood sugar...
low-blood-sugar-killer-for-kidney
Hypoglycemia Causes
Hypoglycemia Causes
Common causes of low blood sugar include the following:
* Overmedication with insulin or antidiabetic pills (for example, sulfonylurea drugs)
* Use of medications such as beta blockers, pentamidine, and sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra)
* Use of alcohol
* Missed meals
* Reactive hypoglycemia is the result of the delayed insulin release after a meal has been absorbed and occurs 4-6 hours after eating.
* Severe infection
* Cancer causing poor oral intake or cancer involving the liver
* Adrenal insufficiency
* Kidney failure
* Liver failure
* Congenital, genetic defects in the regulation of insulin release (congenital hyperinsulinism)
* Congenital conditions associated with increased insulin release (infant born to a diabetic mother, birth trauma, reduced oxygen delivery during birth, major birth stress, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, and rarer genetic conditions)
* Insulinoma or insulin-producing tumor
* Other tumors like hepatoma, mesothelioma, and fibrosarcoma, which may produce insulin-like factors
What follows are expansions on the points noted above and should be incorporated within those points (such as cancer, diabetes drugs, organ failures).
* Most cases of hypoglycemia in adults happen in people with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes has two forms, type 1 (loss of all insulin production) and type 2 (inadequate insulin production due to
resistance to the actions of insulin). People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin to control their glucose level; if they skip meals or have a decreased appetite without changing their insulin dose,
they may develop hypoglycemia/ low blood sugar. Insulin is also used to treat some people with type 2 diabetes.
* If a person with type 1 diabetes accidentally takes too much insulin, or a person with type 2 diabetes accidentally takes too much of their oral medications or insulin, he or she may develop
hypoglycemia / low blood sugar. Even when a diabetic patient takes medications correctly, improper meals, odd mealtimes, or excessive exercise may result in hypoglycemia.
* Often a person who has more than one medical problem may become confused about how much of a certain medication they should take, or their medications may interact to cause hypoglycemia.
* Hypoglycemia also may occur in people with cancer, which often causes loss of appetite. Many such people skip meals because they are not hungry or because chemotherapy causes foods to taste differently.
To prevent this, people on chemotherapy should be encouraged by their doctors and loved ones to try to stay on special diets and take medications to keep them from feeling sick. If this does not work, special medications to help with appetite are available.
* Adrenal insufficiency results from diseases that impair the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys. These small structures make certain hormones and substances, mainly cortisol and epinephrine, which also help elevate glucose in addition to their other functions. If these substances are not made, low blood pressure, hypoglycemia, or both can result.
* The pituitary gland makes growth hormone, which also helps to maintain the balance of glucose. Deficiency of growth hormone causes hypoglycemia, especially in young infants and children.
* Kidney failure causes hypoglycemia in three separate ways. The kidneys help to generate new glucose from amino acids (called gluconeogenesis). Gluconeogenesis is impaired in kidney failure.
Also, insulin circulates for a longer period of time and is cleared slowly when kidney function is poor. The third important reason is that kidney failure reduces the appetite and consequently, oral intake of food.
* The liver stores glucose in a form called glycogen. In the presence of liver failure, the abilities of the liver to generate new glucose and to release glucose are impaired.
* Insulin-producing tumors of the pancreas (called insulinomas) cause hypoglycemia by releasing inappropriately high amounts of insulin. Certain tumors of the liver called hepatomas or other tumors such as fibrosarcomas and mesotheliomas can also cause hypoglycemia by producing insulin-like factors.
signs of low blood sugar
Common causes of low blood sugar include the following:
* Overmedication with insulin or antidiabetic pills (for example, sulfonylurea drugs)
* Use of medications such as beta blockers, pentamidine, and sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra)
* Use of alcohol
* Missed meals
* Reactive hypoglycemia is the result of the delayed insulin release after a meal has been absorbed and occurs 4-6 hours after eating.
* Severe infection
* Cancer causing poor oral intake or cancer involving the liver
* Adrenal insufficiency
* Kidney failure
* Liver failure
* Congenital, genetic defects in the regulation of insulin release (congenital hyperinsulinism)
* Congenital conditions associated with increased insulin release (infant born to a diabetic mother, birth trauma, reduced oxygen delivery during birth, major birth stress, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, and rarer genetic conditions)
* Insulinoma or insulin-producing tumor
* Other tumors like hepatoma, mesothelioma, and fibrosarcoma, which may produce insulin-like factors
What follows are expansions on the points noted above and should be incorporated within those points (such as cancer, diabetes drugs, organ failures).
* Most cases of hypoglycemia in adults happen in people with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes has two forms, type 1 (loss of all insulin production) and type 2 (inadequate insulin production due to
resistance to the actions of insulin). People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin to control their glucose level; if they skip meals or have a decreased appetite without changing their insulin dose,
they may develop hypoglycemia/ low blood sugar. Insulin is also used to treat some people with type 2 diabetes.
* If a person with type 1 diabetes accidentally takes too much insulin, or a person with type 2 diabetes accidentally takes too much of their oral medications or insulin, he or she may develop
hypoglycemia / low blood sugar. Even when a diabetic patient takes medications correctly, improper meals, odd mealtimes, or excessive exercise may result in hypoglycemia.
* Often a person who has more than one medical problem may become confused about how much of a certain medication they should take, or their medications may interact to cause hypoglycemia.
* Hypoglycemia also may occur in people with cancer, which often causes loss of appetite. Many such people skip meals because they are not hungry or because chemotherapy causes foods to taste differently.
To prevent this, people on chemotherapy should be encouraged by their doctors and loved ones to try to stay on special diets and take medications to keep them from feeling sick. If this does not work, special medications to help with appetite are available.
* Adrenal insufficiency results from diseases that impair the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys. These small structures make certain hormones and substances, mainly cortisol and epinephrine, which also help elevate glucose in addition to their other functions. If these substances are not made, low blood pressure, hypoglycemia, or both can result.
* The pituitary gland makes growth hormone, which also helps to maintain the balance of glucose. Deficiency of growth hormone causes hypoglycemia, especially in young infants and children.
* Kidney failure causes hypoglycemia in three separate ways. The kidneys help to generate new glucose from amino acids (called gluconeogenesis). Gluconeogenesis is impaired in kidney failure.
Also, insulin circulates for a longer period of time and is cleared slowly when kidney function is poor. The third important reason is that kidney failure reduces the appetite and consequently, oral intake of food.
* The liver stores glucose in a form called glycogen. In the presence of liver failure, the abilities of the liver to generate new glucose and to release glucose are impaired.
* Insulin-producing tumors of the pancreas (called insulinomas) cause hypoglycemia by releasing inappropriately high amounts of insulin. Certain tumors of the liver called hepatomas or other tumors such as fibrosarcomas and mesotheliomas can also cause hypoglycemia by producing insulin-like factors.
signs of low blood sugar
Hypoglycemia Overview
Hypoglycemia Overview
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a commonly perceived problem. In actuality, while some or many of the symptoms may be present, it is rarely confirmed or documented. The presence of true, documented hypoglycemia in the absence of diabetes treatment must be evaluated
comprehensively by an endocrinologist. Hypoglycemia most often affects those at the extremes of age, such as infants and the elderly, but may happen at any age. Generally, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is defined as a serum glucose level (the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood) below 70 mg/dL.
As a medical problem, hypoglycemia is diagnosed by the presence of three key features (known as Whipple's triad). Whipple's triad is:
1. symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),
2. a low plasma glucose concentration, and
3. relief of symptoms after the plasma glucose level is raised.
Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar / hypoglycemia typically appear at levels below 60 mg/dL. Some people may feel symptoms above this level. Levels below 50 mg/dL affect brain function.
The body regulates its glucose level—the primary source of energy for the brain, muscles, and other essential cells - by the actions of different hormones. These hormones include insulin (which lowers the blood sugar level) and other chemicals which raise blood sugar (such as glucagon, growth hormone, and epinephrine).
* Both insulin and glucagon are manufactured in the pancreas, an organ near the stomach which assists the digestive tract. Special cells in the pancreas, called beta cells, make insulin. Alpha cells in the pancreas make glucagon.
* The role of insulin is to help in the absorption of glucose from the blood by causing it to be stored in the liver or be transported into other tissues of the body (for metabolism or storage).
* Glucagon increases the amount of glucose in the blood by breaking down stored glucose (starch, called glycogen) and releasing it from the liver into the bloodstream.
* Insulin and glucagon are usually correctly balanced if the liver and pancreas are functioning normally.
Traditionally considered a stress hormone, epinephrine (or adrenalin) is made in the adrenal gland and in certain cells in the central nervous system. Epinephrine also elevates blood glucose levels by making glucose available for the body during a time of stress. When this mechanism is not working properly, hypoglycemia can result.
Other hormones also help in raising the level of blood glucose, like cortisol made by the adrenal gland and growth hormone made by the pituitary gland.
Signs of low blood sugar....
hypoglycemia-or-signs-of-low-blood.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a commonly perceived problem. In actuality, while some or many of the symptoms may be present, it is rarely confirmed or documented. The presence of true, documented hypoglycemia in the absence of diabetes treatment must be evaluated
comprehensively by an endocrinologist. Hypoglycemia most often affects those at the extremes of age, such as infants and the elderly, but may happen at any age. Generally, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is defined as a serum glucose level (the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood) below 70 mg/dL.
As a medical problem, hypoglycemia is diagnosed by the presence of three key features (known as Whipple's triad). Whipple's triad is:
1. symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),
2. a low plasma glucose concentration, and
3. relief of symptoms after the plasma glucose level is raised.
Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar / hypoglycemia typically appear at levels below 60 mg/dL. Some people may feel symptoms above this level. Levels below 50 mg/dL affect brain function.
The body regulates its glucose level—the primary source of energy for the brain, muscles, and other essential cells - by the actions of different hormones. These hormones include insulin (which lowers the blood sugar level) and other chemicals which raise blood sugar (such as glucagon, growth hormone, and epinephrine).
* Both insulin and glucagon are manufactured in the pancreas, an organ near the stomach which assists the digestive tract. Special cells in the pancreas, called beta cells, make insulin. Alpha cells in the pancreas make glucagon.
* The role of insulin is to help in the absorption of glucose from the blood by causing it to be stored in the liver or be transported into other tissues of the body (for metabolism or storage).
* Glucagon increases the amount of glucose in the blood by breaking down stored glucose (starch, called glycogen) and releasing it from the liver into the bloodstream.
* Insulin and glucagon are usually correctly balanced if the liver and pancreas are functioning normally.
Traditionally considered a stress hormone, epinephrine (or adrenalin) is made in the adrenal gland and in certain cells in the central nervous system. Epinephrine also elevates blood glucose levels by making glucose available for the body during a time of stress. When this mechanism is not working properly, hypoglycemia can result.
Other hormones also help in raising the level of blood glucose, like cortisol made by the adrenal gland and growth hormone made by the pituitary gland.
Signs of low blood sugar....
hypoglycemia-or-signs-of-low-blood.
Preventing Low Blood Sugar Levels
Preventing Low Blood Sugar Levels
By knowing what causes low blood sugar levels and being prepared, you can lessen the chance that you'll have low blood sugar levels. But no matter how well they take care of themselves, people with diabetes will sometimes have low blood sugar levels.
Here are some additional tips to help you avoid low blood sugar levels:
* Eat all your meals and snacks on time and try not to skip any.
* Take the right amount of insulin.
* If you exercise longer or harder than usual, have an extra snack.
* Don't take a hot bath or shower right after an insulin shot.
* Stick to your diabetes management plan.
* Check your blood sugar levels regularly, so you can tell if your blood sugars are running too low and your treatment plan needs adjustment.
* Carry something containing sugar with you at all times and take it right away if you have symptoms. Don't wait to see if the symptoms will go away — they may get worse!
Alcohol and drugs can cause major problems with your blood sugar levels, so avoiding them is another way to prevent diabetes problems. Drinking can be particularly dangerous — even deadly — for people with diabetes because it messes up the body's ability to keep blood glucose in a normal range. This can cause a very rapid drop in blood glucose in people with diabetes. Drug or alcohol use is also dangerous because it may impair someone's ability to sense low blood sugar levels.
Learning how to recognize the signs of low blood sugar levels and get them back to normal is an important part of caring for diabetes. Keeping track of your blood sugar levels and recording lows when they occur will help you and your diabetes health care team keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.
hypoglycemia-overview
By knowing what causes low blood sugar levels and being prepared, you can lessen the chance that you'll have low blood sugar levels. But no matter how well they take care of themselves, people with diabetes will sometimes have low blood sugar levels.
Here are some additional tips to help you avoid low blood sugar levels:
* Eat all your meals and snacks on time and try not to skip any.
* Take the right amount of insulin.
* If you exercise longer or harder than usual, have an extra snack.
* Don't take a hot bath or shower right after an insulin shot.
* Stick to your diabetes management plan.
* Check your blood sugar levels regularly, so you can tell if your blood sugars are running too low and your treatment plan needs adjustment.
* Carry something containing sugar with you at all times and take it right away if you have symptoms. Don't wait to see if the symptoms will go away — they may get worse!
Alcohol and drugs can cause major problems with your blood sugar levels, so avoiding them is another way to prevent diabetes problems. Drinking can be particularly dangerous — even deadly — for people with diabetes because it messes up the body's ability to keep blood glucose in a normal range. This can cause a very rapid drop in blood glucose in people with diabetes. Drug or alcohol use is also dangerous because it may impair someone's ability to sense low blood sugar levels.
Learning how to recognize the signs of low blood sugar levels and get them back to normal is an important part of caring for diabetes. Keeping track of your blood sugar levels and recording lows when they occur will help you and your diabetes health care team keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.
hypoglycemia-overview
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