What Happens During a Diabetic Attack?

Diabetes affects over 23 million people in the U.S. alone. It is a disease in which the pancreas doesn't produce the correct amount of insulin. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational. Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, everyone afflicted with type 1 diabetes lived only a few short years after their diagnosis. Today, with careful and healthy eating, exercise, blood testing, and, for some, insulin, all types of diabetes are manageable. But still, diabetic attacks can occur, and diabetics need to know how to manage this disease and what to do during a diabetic attack.

Confusion

• A person experiencing a diabetic attack may become incoherent and confused. They may become anxious, fatigued, weak, have rapid breathing, or go into shock.

Change in Senses

• A diabetic attack can cause blurred vision, headaches, and double vision. Sweating, tingling, numbness, and foot pain may also be present.

Hunger

• Extreme and sudden hunger, unusual thirst, and nausea can occur during a diabetic attack.

Convulsion

• During a severe diabetic attack convulsion may occur. In the most relentless cases a person may fall into a coma.

Blood Sugar Levels

• Blood sugar level readings of and greater than 400 mg/dl must be treated immediately. The body's kidneys may suffer damage and lead to urinary problems, a build-up of waste in the body, and the excretion of needed proteins and amino acids.

Chest pain

• Chest pain and irregular heartbeats in diabetics could signal a heart attack. The chest pain in diabetics is most commonly felt in the middle or left side.