Diabetes coma

Diabetes coma is a condition of unconsciousness which may occur in diabetes. It is associated with a very high level of sugar in the blood. It may occur in patients who have been diagnosed recently or who have not been taking insulin or have been taking insufficient insulin for a period of several days.

The patient may be suffering from some other illness, such as ‘flu’. Not realizing that diabetes usually need more insulin when they have intercurrent infections, the patient may mistakenly cut down on his/her insulin. As indicated above diabetes coma may take between one to three days to develop and is usually initially characterized by thirst and the passing of large quantities of urine. If this is not detected and treated soon enough, the patient will develop vomiting with increasing frequency and will eventually become drowsy and lapses into coma. Immediate hospitalization is necessary.

In hospital, the patient is given large quantities of intravenous fluids to combat the severe dehydration, and insulin to reduce his/her blood sugar. High sugar level in the blood is far less common than hypoglycemic coma, in which the blood sugar level is too low.

It is advisable that all diabetes patients test their urine as regularly as possible for sugar, and keep a record of the result. This is important because a trace of sugar in the urine can mean excess sugar in the blood. In conclusion it should be reiterated that a high sugar content in the urine normally precedes diabetic coma as opposed to insulin reaction or hypoglycemic coma in which case the urine is relatively free of sugar.