What is a diabetic seizure like?

To recognize a diabetic seizure, look for symptoms such as staring into space, confusion, muscle weakness, loss of consciousness, or uncontrollable body movements.

What are the symptoms of a diabetic seizure?

What happens when a diabetic has a seizure?

A diabetic seizure occurs when the sugar levels in the blood are extremely low (below 30 mg/dL). The brain needs glucose to function properly. When there is a drop in blood sugar, the actions of the neurons in the brain decrease and the person experiences a seizure.

What level of blood sugar causes seizures?

However, no definitive evidence shows that minor changes in blood sugar (e.g., >50 and <200 mg dl) outside of the normal range provoke seizures. Changes in blood sugar occur most frequently in people with diabetes.

How common are diabetic seizures?

Epilepsy or seizures are often observed in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and an emerging association between the two diseases is more than coincidental based on recent research. Approximately 25% of patients with DM experience different types of seizures.

Unlocking the mysteries of hypoglycemic seizures

What to do if someone has a diabetic seizure?

What does diabetic shock feel like?

People experiencing hypoglycemia often experience headaches, dizziness, sweating, shaking, and a feeling of anxiety. When a person experiences diabetic shock, or severe hypoglycemia, they may lose consciousness, have trouble speaking, and experience double vision.

Can too much sugar trigger a seizure?

Stimulants such as tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, sweets, soft drinks, excess salt, spices and animal proteins may trigger seizures by suddenly changing the body's metabolism.

Can uncontrolled diabetes cause seizures?

Although it's a common complication of diabetes, hyperglycemia can happen to anyone. If left untreated, high blood sugar can lead to hyperglycemia-related seizures.

What does a seizure feel like?

Some seizures cause the body to jerk and shake (a "fit"), while others cause problems like loss of awareness or unusual sensations. They typically pass in a few seconds or minutes. Seizures can occur when you're awake or asleep. Sometimes they can be triggered by something, such as feeling very tired.

What is a diabetic seizure called?

A diabetic seizure can also be referred to as diabetic shock or severe hypoglycemia and can be triggered by an event that causes your body to need more available blood glucose than it has. Although diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is commonly a complication of high blood sugar, it can occur as a result of low blood sugar.

What is a diabetic episode?

Diabetic hypoglycemia occurs when someone with diabetes doesn't have enough sugar (glucose) in his or her blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body and brain, so you can't function well if you don't have enough.

What does a seizure look like?

Seizures symptoms vary and can include a sudden change in awareness or full loss of consciousness, unusual sensations or thoughts, involuntary twitching or stiffness in the body or severe stiffening and limb shaking with loss of consciousness (a convulsion.)

Can diabetics have seizures in their sleep?

Very low blood-sugar levels can cause seizures or even, in rare cases, death. People with type-1 diabetes often sense warning signs of low blood sugar when they are awake, but not during sleep, explaining why 75 percent of diabetic seizures occur at night.

Can a diabetic patient have seizures?

Seizures that happen as a direct result of diabetes, notably if very low sugar levels occur, are known as non-epileptic seizures. It is possible for people to have both diabetes and epilepsy, and this can present challenges in recognising whether the seizures are related to epilepsy or blood sugar levels.

Can you feel a seizure coming on?

Prodrome: Some people may experience feelings, sensations, or changes in behavior hours or days before a seizure. These feelings are generally not part of the seizure, but may warn a person that a seizure may come.

What would cause a seizure all of a sudden?

Seizures in adults with no seizure history can be caused by a number of factors ranging from high blood pressure, drug abuse and toxic exposures to brain injury, brain infection (encephalitis) and heart disease.

How do you stop a seizure from happening?

How do you know if you're going into diabetic shock?

What are symptoms someone might be going into insulin shock?

Signs like shakiness, sweatiness, dizziness, confusion and a fast heartbeat can indicate that someone's experiencing hypoglycemia. And if action isn't taken quickly to raise their blood sugar, it can progress to severe hypoglycemia (informally called insulin shock or diabetic shock), which may cause: Muscle weakness.

At what sugar level is diabetic coma?

A diabetic coma could happen when your blood sugar gets too high -- 600 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more -- causing you to become very dehydrated. It usually affects people with type 2 diabetes that isn't well-controlled. It's common among those who are elderly, chronically ill, and disabled.

What are the three main diabetic emergencies?

Hyperglycemia: Increased glucose in the blood, typically linked to diabetes. Hypoglycemia: Decreased glucose in the blood, usually caused by excessive insulin or low food intake. Insulin: Hormone released by the pancreas in response to increased levels of sugar in the body.

How do I know if I had a seizure?

A staring spell. Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs. Loss of consciousness or awareness. Cognitive or emotional symptoms, such as fear, anxiety or deja vu.

What does a mini seizure look like?

The person suddenly stops all activity. It may look like he or she is staring off into space or just has a blank look. The eyes may turn upwards and eyelids flutter. The seizures usually last less than 10 seconds.

What does a mini seizure feel like?

Absence (or petit mal) seizures: You seem disconnected from others around you and don't respond to them. You may stare blankly into space, and your eyes might roll back in your head. They usually last only a few seconds, and you may not remember having one.