Short Term Complications

Low Glucose

Hypoglycaemia, more commonly known as a hypo, is when your blood glucose levels go low, typically below 4mmol/L. Only people using insulin or medications like gliclazide, glipizide, diamicron, glimepiride, glibenclamide are at risk of having hypos.

Everyone’s symptoms are slightly different, but the most common symptoms are trembling; sweating; becoming irritable or upset; going pale; lips tingling; blurred vision; confusion; tiredness and dizziness or a fast heartbeat. You should recognise the warning signs act, quickly, and tell your friends and family what to look out for.

To treat a hypo you should drink something sugary or 15-20g of a quick-acting carbohydrate such as 8 jelly beans or 4-6 glucose tablets, and follow on with some slow-release carbohydrate such as a banana or sandwich. You should recheck your blood glucose level after 10-15 minutes to make sure it has normalised. If someone has a severe hypo and has become unconscious, then contact the emergency services immediately.

High Glucose

Glucose levels may go high due to illness, inactivity, missed treatment or higher carbohydrate intake. People with type 1 diabetes need to adjust their insulin levels in response to high glucose levels, otherwise, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) can occur. DKA is when your body doesn’t have enough insulin so it can’t use glucose as energy, and starts burning fat instead. The fat tissue produces an acidic substance called ketones, which if left untreated can build up in the bloodstream and can make you very ill.

Symptoms of DKA are normally extreme thirst; urinating more; tiredness; confusion; stomach pain; vomiting and/or diarrhoea; and strange taste and breath that smells like pear drop sweets. If you have type 1 diabetes, high glucose and tested positive for ketones then you should contact your diabetes team immediately (see sick day rules).

Both hypoglycaemia and DKA are serious conditions that need immediate action to prevent you from becoming very unwell. Testing your blood glucose levels regularly helps prevent both hypos and DKA.

Have a look at our resources below so you feel confident that you will be able to recognise the short-term complications you may experience, how you should treat them, what to do when you are ill and when you should seek medical help.