Diabetic Coma

Diabetic coma is a reversible form of coma found in people with diabetes mellitus. It is a medical emergency. There are three types of coma: 

• Severe Diabetic Hypoglycemia
• Diabetic Ketoacidosis
• Nonketotic Hyperosmolar Coma

I

Severe Diabetic Hypoglycemia

If you suffer from hypoglycemic comas and are diabetic with Type I Diabetes and full replacement doses of insulin recovery is easy to induce.

Recovery is initiated by eating or drinking carbohydrates. In some situations the blood glucose falls fast and low enough to produce unconsciousness before your condition is recognized.

Medical Emergency personnel have no idea that you are diabetic unless you wear a Diabetic Tag or are accompanied by a friend or family member who tells them you are diabetic.

For example, in camping experiences (Diabetic Camps) the high level of exercise combined with a more sedentary lifestyle before camp may bring on the unconscious state quickly. The burning of blood sugar by your body increases and drops the available blood glucose level lower than what are used to before a camping experience. Your dose of insulin is adjusted downward due to the increased activity. If you eat less than usual your normal dose of insulin may initiate hypoglycemia that results in a coma.

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Twitching or convulsions may occur. You may appear pale, have a rapid heartbeat and soaked in sweat which are signs of your adrenalin response to hypoglycemia. You're not usually dehydrated and breathing is normal or shallow. If you passed the deepest portion of hypoglycemia, a glucose meter may show a low but not the severe level of hypoglycemia that caused your state of unconsciousness.

They treat unconsciousness due to hypoglycemia by waking you up and have you drink orange juice or other citrus juice. If you don't wake they raise your blood glucose with intravenous glucose or injected glucagon.