Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the US — 9.4 percent of the total population. The medical condition occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. This result in excess sugar levels in the body. If left untreated the disease can lead to serious health conditions.

Responding to a diabetic emergency does not require a professional degree. If you have basic first aid knowledge, you can easily help a diabetic individual during an emergency. Not responding to a diabetic emergency can turn out to be deadly. A person can go unconscious or even die if no assistance is provided.

In this article, we will explain how to best respond to diabetic emergencies.

1. Give Medications

If you see a person losing consciousness, you should immediately ask if the person is diabetic. Most diabetic patients will tell you what they need. In most cases, you will have to give them medications placed in a cabinet, shelf, or their bag. The condition will stabilize once the diabetic patient takes medications.

2. Monitor Condition of the Patient

A diabetic patient can experience two types of conditions:

  • Insulin Shock
  • Diabetic Coma

Insulin shock is caused due to low sugar levels in the body. It can occur when the person has taken extra dose of an insulin medication, or does not take enough sugary material. If the person has suffered from an insulin shock, you should consider giving the person something with sugar such as juice, chocolate, or water mixed with sugar.

After providing sugary substance, the condition of the patient should improve. However, if the condition does not improve and the person goes into a diabetic coma, you should perform CPR on the person.

3. Call Emergency Help

Calling an emergency help is important if a person goes into a prolonged diabetic coma. Until the help comes or the patient regains consciousness, it’s essential that you provide CPR to the victim. Performing CPR will allow blood to keep circulating inside the body. If the body organs don’t receive a regular supply of oxygenated blood, they can die. So, performing CPR is essential.

The above are the most important tips for responding to a diabetic emergency. Timely assistance in case of a diabetic emergency is important to avoid serious health problems. Most diabetic emergencies can be averted by taking prompt actions. That’s why it’s important for you to consider getting a CPR certification.

Getting a CPR certification is essential if someone in your family is diabetic or suffers from a heart condition. In most cases, diabetic patients also suffer from heart problems. If you have CPR certification, you can provide timely assistance to the person that can save life of the individual.

Taking an online CPR class is the most convenient way to learn the essential skill.In case you already have obtained a CPR certification some years back, you should get a CPR recertification. CPR renewal will ensure that you get the most up-to-date information regarding the lifesaving skill.