Dr. Rabi Narayan Satapathy

Hypoglycemia is a condition that is associated with a lower amount of glucose in the body. Since glucose is the main source of energy in the body, it creates quite a few complications in the body. In a majority of the cases, this condition is associated with diabetes. Hypoglycemia, like fever, is not a disease but a disease indicator. A quick fix to keep hypoglycemia under check is to ensure that a patient intakes high-sugar food. A long-term fix involves a doctor treating a patient for the root cause.

What are the common symptoms?

The body needs a constant supply of glucose to carry out the daily function. In a case of short supply, it presents with the following symptoms:

• Frequent heart palpitations
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Shakiness
• Pale skin
• Sweating

As the condition worsens, the symptoms can aggravate to the following conditions:

• Frequent seizures b. Inability to complete daily work due to confusion
• Sudden loss of consciousness
• Problems related to vision such as blurred vision

People with an acute hypoglycemia can get a feeling of intoxication at times. Words get slurred while they talk.

What are the causes?

Glucose is one of the many sugar molecules that the body produces when it digests food. Glucose is one such sugar component and is the driver of energy. There are 2 reasons of diabetes. If the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin or the body is incapable of responding to the insulin. This results in a logjam of glucose in the body. To address the problem, intake of insulin is required. Too much of insulin intake can result in hypoglycemia. The latter can also befall if an adequate amount of food is not consumed while going through a medicine course of diabetes. Even too much of working out while consuming diabetic medicine can also result in hypoglycemia.

Other probable causes:

1. Alcohol consumption- A regular drinker who eats less runs a heavy risk of suffering from hypoglycemia. This blocks the liver and the latter can refrain from releasing glucose.
2. Critical illness- Hypoglycemia may occur from certain critical illnesses such as liver illness, kidney disorder, frequent starvation etc.
3. Overproduction of the insulin- A tumour of the pancreas known as the insulinoma causes the body over-produce insulin.
4. Hormonal deficiencies- Disorders related to the pituitary gland and adrenal gland runs a serious risk of suffering of hypoglycemia due to hormonal deficiencies.

What are the complications?

Some of the common complications of this conditions include loss of consciousness, seizures and at times even death. Frequent episodes of hypoglycemia can make a person go numb and speechless.

Diagnosis:

A doctor typically asks a patient to go for a fast of 12 hours in a hospital setting and then test the glucose level in the blood. It ensures that the body exhibits the correct symptoms of hypoglycemia. The doctor analyses the blood sample report and decides whether a person has this condition. The last and the final confirmation comes when the symptoms of hypoglycemia go away as soon as the blood sugar levels are increased.

Prevention:

In the case of a diabetic patient, it is necessary to ensure that a constant evaluation of the blood sugar level happens from time to time. Eating and medicine schedules need to be adhered to. Exercise too is important. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Looking at Prince William holding his young one in his arms, leaving the hospital after the birth of his new born child was a pleasant sight. Men have a very important role in the process of pregnancy and child birth. It's challenging for fathers to be actively involved in pregnancy although no one doubts the fact that some of them become super dads while raising their kids.

• Research shows that Fathers are needed: Studies have proved that infants whose fathers had minimal involvement in pregnancy were more likely to be born premature and with low birth weight. Sometimes your physical and emotional presence is all that is required during pregnancy. So here let's have a look for role of dad in pregnancy and prepare quarterly roster.
• Be prepared to welcome the little one: Planning to start a family is a water shed moment for parents and the delivery of the ''Good news" certainly brings along mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. It's like an examination schedule that has been pinned on the notice board. Husbands have a calming effect on moms in managing morning sickness. They have the responsibility to encourage her for a balanced and nutritious diet apart from planning antenatal visits to obstetrics clinic. They also take care of pregnancy mood swings of her partner because it's the hormones that are affecting and also be conscious and sensitive while making love in pregnancy.
• Be prepared for all circumstances: Dads need to be prepared to handle the odd symptoms of pregnancy and should find out about what they have should do. They can get references for mood related aspects. You can support the health of your partner by cooking and eating healthy meals together and exercising together. Prepare yourself for moving to a new place. Make a list of the hospitals that are not far and stay in touch always with your wife as it could be bit of emergency anytime. Plan for hospital stay and be a helping hand. Also try and engage your own parents so that they can also be a part of your training for baby care. Attending child birth classes together helps a lot to prepare you for arrival of new born.

Do get actively involved in labour and cord cutting also a father has a lot of role in successful breast feeding. It is best that you get more involved with your wife in the 9 months. The anticipation of a new one coming to your house should grip your imagination. Remember for many parents, it is the best time of their life's.