Joined
·
22 Posts
Hi everyone
Just some notes that I took from the books that I've been reading.
Cheers,
Joseph
Short-term complications of diabetes
Short term complications can be very serious and life threatening if left untreated. These short term complications are usually caused by high level of blood glucose. The three main complications are as follows
Ketoacidosis: mostly found in type 1 DM. It is a severe acid condition of blood caused by the lack of insulin. Treatment is with a large volume of liquid and insulin - failure to do so can result in death.
Hyperosmolar syndrome: often seen in older people who usually are neglected. Due to severe dehydration their blood glucose can rise substantially. Also, their kidneys cannot get rid of glucose the way young kidneys can - causing the blood to be like thick syrup. Large amount of fluids need to be restored. Unlike with ketoacidosis, they don’t need much insulin to recover.
Hypoglycemia or low blood glucose: This happens when the patient is on a drug that drives the glucose down, like insulin, but is exercising too much or is not getting enough food. Typical symptoms include palpitation, sweating, hunger, confusion and coma if the period of low glucose is prolonged. Usual treatment is glucose by venous injection or by mouth.