Question

What are the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia? What is the first step you should take when hypoglycemia is suspected? Explain the significance of Hb A1C.

Answer 1

Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia are-

Whole body: excess sweating, excessive hunger, fainting, fatigue, light-headedness, or shakiness

Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting

Cognitive: mental confusion or unresponsiveness

Mouth: dryness or tingling lips

Other Symptoms: anxiety, blurred vision, headache, irritability, pallor, palpitations, sensation of pins and needles, sleepiness, slurred speech, tremor, or unsteadiness

First Steps To be Taken For Patient to be Suspected of Hypoglycemia is-

To get random Blood Sugar test done and give patient 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. These are sugary foods without protein or fat that are easily converted to sugar in the body. Try glucose tablets or gel, fruit juice, regular — not diet — soft drinks, honey, and sugary candy.

Then Recheck blood sugar levels 15 minutes after treatment. If blood sugar levels are still under 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), give patient another 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate, and recheck the blood sugar level again in 15 minutes. Repeat these steps until the blood sugar is above 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L).

Significance of HbA1c is that HbA1c is an important indicator of long-term glycemic control with the ability to reflect the cumulative glycemic history of the preceding two to three months.

HbA1c not only provides a reliable measure of chronic hyperglycemia but also correlates well with the risk of long-term diabetes complications such as Renal damage, Cardiac damage and Nervous Damages.

HbA1c	mmol/mol	%
Normal	Below 42 mmol/mol	Below 6.0%
Prediabetes	42 to 47 mmol/mol	6.0% to 6.4%
Diabetes	48 mmol/mol or over	6.5% or over ​​​

Certain Researchers shows that improving HbA1c by 1% (or 11 mmol/mol) for people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes cuts the risk of microvascular complications by 25%.

Microvascular complications include:

• Retinopathy
• Neuropathy
• Diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease)

Also it reduces certain other risks and patients suffer less-

• 19% less likely to suffer cataracts
• 16% less likely to suffer heart failure
• 43% less likely to suffer amputation or death due to peripheral vascular disease