To recognize a diabetic seizure, look for symptoms such as staring into space, confusion, muscle weakness, loss of consciousness, or uncontrollable body movements.
The signs of seizures might be similar in diabetes and epilepsy; however, the major difference is that a seizure resulting due to hypoglycemia might cause a diabetic patient to fall into a coma if remains untreated immediately.
The symptoms of seizures can be the same in diabetes and epilepsy, but the biggest difference is that a seizure caused by hypoglycemia can cause a diabetic patient to fall into a coma if not treated urgently.
This kind of seizure (also called a grand mal seizure) involves the entire body, loss of consciousness, and violent muscle contractions. Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include sweating, fatigue, headache , anxiety, nausea, dizziness, alterations in vision, hunger, tremor , and confusion.
To recognize a diabetic seizure, look for symptoms such as staring into space, confusion, muscle weakness, loss of consciousness, or uncontrollable body movements.
The average person with type 1 diabetes may experience symptoms of low blood glucose up to two times a week. However, not all are aware that these symptoms can rapidly progress to seizures, coma and even death if hypoglycemia is severe.
Give them something sweet to eat or a non-diet drink.
If someone has a diabetic emergency, their blood sugar levels can become too low. This can make them collapse. Giving them something sugary will help raise their blood sugar levels and improve their bodily function.
In some cases, high blood sugar levels can lead to nonketotic hyperglycemia-related seizures. These types of seizures are also referred to as focal seizures, which affect a certain area of the brain and can affect people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Hypoglycemia can quickly result in seizures, coma, and even death if not treated immediately. The lower your blood sugar and the longer it takes before you receive treatment, the more likely you are to suffer moderate or severe brain injury from this type of episode.
People often experience headaches, dizziness, sweating, shaking, and a feeling of anxiety. However, when a person experiences diabetic shock or severe hypoglycemia, they may lose consciousness, have trouble speaking, and experience double vision.
What's sometimes called "diabetic rage" can be dangerous, because it may involve behaviors you're not consciously aware of. When your blood sugar fluctuates, spikes, or drops, it can produce feelings of anger, anxiety, or depression. You may feel like your emotions are out of your control.
Symptoms usually occur when blood sugar levels fall below four millimoles (mmol) per litre. Typical early warning signs are feeling hungry, trembling or shakiness, and sweating. In more severe cases, you may also feel confused and have difficulty concentrating.
Epilepsy or seizures are often observed in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and an emerging association between the two diseases is more than coincidental based on recent research. Approximately 25% of patients with DM experience different types of seizures.
Levels of sugar in your bloodstream may affect seizures in some people. If you have a sudden spike or crash in blood sugar, this could cause seizures. This is why it is generally best to avoid high sugar, processed foods such as cookies, cakes, candy and white bread.
It is known that seizures result in altered glucose metabolism, the reduction of intracellular energy metabolites such as ATP, ADP and phosphocreatine and the accumulation of metabolic intermediates, such as lactate and adenosine.
Triggers are situations that can bring on a seizure in some people with epilepsy. Some people's seizures are brought on by certain situations. Triggers can differ from person to person, but common triggers include tiredness and lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and not taking medication.
Fever, the physical stress of being sick, and dehydration (from not drinking or eating normally, or from vomiting) can all bring on seizures. It can also be hard to get a good night's sleep while sick, and lack of sleep can be a trigger. Plus, some of the medications used to treat these ailments may be triggers.
If they lose consciousness, any bystander should call 911 and ask for emergency medical help. If a person experience regular hypoglycemia despite following the treatment plan, or if changes in blood sugar level occur suddenly in response to a medication change, they should see a doctor.
In children, 75% of hypoglycemic seizures occur at night (2). Among patients with type 1 diabetes, there is a 6% lifetime risk of “dead-in-bed” (3), which may in part be a result of severe nocturnal hypoglycemia.
Diagnosis. Blood sugar levels that occur during a diabetic coma include: Blood sugar that is higher than 300 mg/dL two times in a row for no reason. Blood sugar that is low, less than 70 mg/dL, and the numbers don't increase after three treatments.
If left untreated, severe dehydration can be serious and cause fits (seizures), brain damage and death.
If your blood sugar level is slightly high for a short time, emergency treatment won't be necessary. But if it continues to rise you may need to act fast to avoid developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). If your blood sugar level is 15 mmol/l or more, you should check your blood or urine for ketones.