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By Mayo Clinic staffA diabetic coma is a medical emergency that you won't have time to prepare for. If you feel the symptoms of extreme high or low blood sugar, call 911 or your local emergency number to make sure help is on the way before you pass out.
If you're with someone with diabetes who has passed out or is acting extremely strange, possibly as if he or she has had too much alcohol, call for immediate medical help.
What you can do in the meantime
If you have no training in diabetes care, wait for the emergency care team to arrive.
If you are familiar with diabetes care, follow these steps:
- Test the unconscious person's blood sugar.
- If the blood sugar level is lower than 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), administer an injection of glucagon. If glucagon isn't available, rub glucose gel, honey or non-sugar-free syrup on the inside of the unconscious person's cheek. Do not give insulin to someone with low blood sugar.
- If the blood sugar level is above 70 mg/dL, wait for medical help to arrive. Don't give sugar to someone whose blood sugar isn't low.
- Let the emergency care team know about the diabetes and what steps you've taken, if any.
References
- Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=8407307. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=15524. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- Ketoacidosis (DKA). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/ketoacidosis-dka.html. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- Hypoglycemia. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- Disadvantages of using an insulin pump. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/medication/insulin/disadvantages-of-using-an.html. Accessed March 11, 2012.
- Diabulimia. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=107141. Accessed March 11, 2012.
- Lee P, et al. Recreational drug use in type 1 diabetes: An invisible accomplice to poor glycaemic control? Internal Medicine Journal. 2012;42:198.
- Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html. Accessed March 8, 2012.
- Continuous glucose monitoring. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/glucosemonitor/. Accessed March 11, 2012.
- Collazo-Clavell ML (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 15, 2012.
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