Mr. Zheng, a resident of Wuhan in his 70s, started insulin injections six years ago after being diagnosed with diabetes. One night not long ago, he suddenly woke up in his sleep, sweating, babbling, and restless, and fell from his bed to the ground. The family thought he had suffered a stroke and rushed him to the hospital. After an emergency examination, it was found that Mr. Cheng's blood sugar was abnormal, which was only 2.6 mmol/L, while the discretionary blood sugar of diabetic patients should be at least 4.4 mmol/L.
Tan Jinmu, deputy chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology of the Yangtze River Shipping General Hospital, said that after asking about his medical history, he learned that Mr. Zheng followed the requirements of "keeping his mouth shut", strictly controlled his diet every day, changed three meals a day to two meals, and reduced the amount of rice from one bowl to half a bowl. At first, his blood sugar gradually improved, but he did not reduce his insulin dose, resulting in a relatively high insulin dose and low blood sugar.
Experts point out that many people with diabetes have the misconception that the lower the blood sugar, the better, but this is not the case. Low blood sugar can also affect physical health, and if hypoglycemia is not corrected for a long time, it may lead to changes in consciousness, damage to cranial nerve function, and even severe coma.
Doctors remind diabetics that if they have started to use hypoglycemic drugs, especially insulin, they need to monitor blood sugar changes dynamically. Once symptoms such as palpitation, hand tremors, and cold sweats appear, it is necessary to be highly vigilant for hypoglycemia. If there are changes in the patient's diet, it is important to consult a doctor, who will represcribe the insulin dose according to the lifestyle and diet, and remember not to adjust the insulin dose at home.
Reporter: Tong Liang, Liu Fang, Correspondent: Jin Jing