Diabetes and Medical Alert Bracelets
It is critical for medical response personnel to be aware of this health condition and the symptoms to enable them to treat a patient correctly. A medical alert bracelet provides the necessary information to medical personnel in order to provide accurate treatment for a condition related to diabetes and avoid treatments that could aggravate symptoms of diabetes.
What Is Hyperglycemia?
Diabetes treatments commonly involve injecting insulin into the subcutaneous tissue (the fatty layer just under the skin). This insulin is then used by cells to metabolize blood sugar - turning it into energy that the body can use. Insulin therefore lowers blood sugar to prevent hyperglycemia.
High blood sugar for extended periods of time can result in the following complications associated with diabetes:
- Cardiovascular or heart disease.- Damage caused to the blood vessels that carry blood to vital organs.
- Neuropathy or nerve damage.
- Nephropathy or kidney damage.
- Retinopathy or vision problems.
- Poor circulation resulting in damage to feet and skin conditions.
- Impaired hearing.
Although hyperglycemia itself is not life-threatening, the conditions that develop as a result can be dangerous and fatal. Medical personnel need to be aware of the complications that can develop as a result of extended hyperglycemia.
What Is Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia occurs as a result of a drop in blood sugar levels. A level that falls below 70mg/dL can be harmful. Sugar levels below 54mg/dL are considered to be dangerous and require immediate action.
Hypoglycemia in diabetics normally occurs as a result of treatment being received for the disease. A diet low in carbohydrates which is essential for diabetics combined with insulin injections to metabolize blood sugar can result in low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia can result in the following initial symptoms and complications:- Tiredness or weakness
- Hunger
- Trembling or shaking
- Headache
- Perspiring or sweating
- Difficulty focusing or concentrating
- Irritability, anxiousness or nervousness
- Confusion, dizziness or faintness
- Blurred or double vision
- Fast, pounding heart rate
A diabetic may find it difficult to recognize these symptoms when they are experiencing low blood sugar. Diabetics need to test their blood sugar regularly in order to detect hypoglycemia. It is also recommended to wear a diabetic alert bracelet so that others may recognize the cause of these symptoms.
These symptoms may be similar to those of other conditions and may be confused with alcohol intoxication or drug use. The ability to receive treatment to increase blood sugar sufficiently as soon as possible is imperative to preventing the more severe and dangerous complications of hypoglycemia.
Severe and life-threatening symptoms of hypoglycemia include:
- Fainting- Seizures
- Coma
A diabetic experiencing blood sugar levels below 54mg/dL can slip into a coma or experience a seizure that can be life-threatening. Emergency medical technicians need to treat these severely dangerous symptoms of diabetes immediately in order to prevent them from being fatal.
If a diabetic slips into a coma as a result of low sugar, it can be difficult for them to recover unless the correct treatment to raise blood sugar is administered quickly. Understanding that a seizure or coma is a result of diabetic hypoglycemia is therefore critical to saving lives.
There are also a number of other diabetes symptoms. Each can vary in severity from causing mild discomfort to highly painful. A medical alert bracelet will inform medical personnel that a person is diabetic as well as explain the additional symptoms that are associated with the disease.
Why Medical Alerts Bracelets Should be Worn by Diabetics
A medical alert bracelet is worn on the wrist and contains information related to specific health conditions that the wearer suffers from. This information is intended to inform medical personnel of health conditions so to allow for more effective treatment of a patient or avoid treatment that could be harmful to a patient.
A quick response by medical personnel is often critical to saving lives. The ability to administer the correct treatment quickly is just as important. Having instant access to medical information via a medical alert bracelet saves time which saves lives. Medical response personnel are trained to look for a bracelet before treating a patient to identify any health conditions and whether these conditions could be the underlying cause.