Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City receives at least 5 cases of diabetes complications each week due to patients eating the wrong diet, forgetting to take medication, injecting too little insulin or too much.
On September 21, Dr. Ho Ngoc Bao, Emergency Department, provided the above information, adding that complications can make the disease worse and lead to death if not treated promptly.
Like Mrs. Le, 85 years old, has diabetes, has been injecting herself with insulin for 15 years. The patient was rushed to the emergency room due to fatigue, shaking, sweating, and lethargy. Test results showed that her blood sugar was very low. The doctor diagnosed the patient with an insulin overdose. After treatment for hypoglycemia, she regained consciousness, her health was stable, and she was discharged after 7 days.
Unlike Mrs. Le, Mr. Tuan (56 years old) and Mrs. Hong (54 years old) were hospitalized due to hyperglycemia. Due to forgetting to inject insulin, Mr. Tuan's blood sugar increased 4 times normal, causing ketoacidosis (accumulation of acid in the blood), causing lethargy, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting, and extreme thirst. He was given intravenous fluids, electrolytes, and insulin, and his symptoms improved.
Ms. Hong has had diabetes for 20 years, and recently her blood sugar has stabilized, so she adjusts her insulin dose according to the amount of meals she eats. She vomited continuously, so she was hospitalized in the emergency room and diagnosed with hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis. Luckily, she was treated promptly, because if she had been late, she could have died.
Doctor Thuy Dung instructs patients on how to measure food with their fist to control blood sugar. Photo: Dinh Tien
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by blood sugar levels that are consistently higher than normal because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or does not use insulin effectively. Patients need to take medication every day as prescribed by their doctor.
Dr. Phan Thi Thuy Dung, Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes, said that diabetes treatment drugs include two main groups: insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs. Insulin helps lower blood sugar, and has a rapid effect 5-30 minutes after injection. Depending on each case, the doctor will instruct the patient to use appropriate insulin.
Doctors recommend that diabetics take their medication exactly as prescribed, and not forget to take it or overdose. Patients should also not change their medication dosage on their own, even if their blood sugar is stable, as in Ms. Hong's case.
Cases of patients forgetting to take medication, causing blood sugar to increase like Mr. Tuan's, are very common. Normally, diabetes medications come with a label and specific instructions on what patients should do if they miss a dose. If blood sugar increases, with symptoms such as thirst, excessive hunger, frequent urination, fatigue, etc., patients should go to the hospital for examination. Blood sugar from 250 mg/dL is the dangerous threshold.
Poorly controlled blood sugar can easily lead to acute diabetic complications such as ketoacidosis, coma, and increased osmotic pressure. Other chronic complications such as damage to large blood vessels (myocardial infarction, stroke), damage to small blood vessels (renal failure, peripheral neuropathy, etc.) can also occur.
In addition to taking medication, to control diabetes, patients should limit their intake of starch, sweet fruits, canned foods, and foods high in sugar. Avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, and other stimulants. Balance nutrients from meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruits in three main meals a day.
You should exercise regularly, do at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, at least two days a week, with movements for the main muscle groups including the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. Gentle exercises such as brisk walking, housework, dancing, yoga, swimming, cycling... Check your blood sugar regularly at home, and have regular check-ups as prescribed by your doctor to help monitor and treat the disease better. When there are unusual symptoms, the patient should go to the hospital for early treatment.
Dinh Tien
At 8:00 p.m. on September 22, the online consultation program "Mistakes when controlling blood sugar at home for people with diabetes" was broadcast on the VnExpress fanpage. The program provides information on how to use medicine, nutrition and exercise to help patients control blood sugar well at home. Doctors from the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes, Tam Anh General Hospital System, participated in the consultation including Dr. Hoang Kim Uoc, Dr. Lam Van Hoang, and Dr. Dinh Thi Thao Mai. Readers ask questions here for advice. |
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