Everyone jokes about their blood sugar being low when they're hungry. They suddenly demand a snack or hearty meal. Diabetics pose the same risks, just in the opposite way, they need to eat to get their glucose levels down, which is hypERglycemia. HypOglycemia doesn't happen just from hunger, but is a health condition as serious as the former in terms of regulating blood sugar. UK researchers are raising their eyebrows about blood sugar guidelines now. How low is too low?
The study is suggesting that blood glucose levels have guidelines for not only how high glucose should be, but more specifically, how low. Both extremes causes great risks to diabetics and create concerns about current guidelines, so much so, that .5 percent could be the difference between life, and well...a life taken from faulty guidelines.
Research is showing that diabetic treatments are lowering blood sugar levels too far, but a big resolve might be a simple change in guidelines. The study covered a span of 22 years of medical and mortality records involving at least 47,970 type 2 diabetics over age 50.
Research of the records initially assumed that a 7 percent HBa1c glucose level was ideal for patients suffering with chronically elevated levels. For example, diabetics with a 10.6 percent level had an 80 percent mortality rate. Diabetics with a 6.4 percent level had a 50 percent mortality rate. For this reason, 7 percent seemed a safe number, but now they're thinking 7.5 percent glucose goals would be better.
Types diabetic treatments were observed as well. The research is divided between insulin injections and oral treatment. Patients that used insulin injections appeared to have a higher mortality rate, but the insulin wasn't the main problem. The reason pointed to other factors however, besides just the type of treatment, such as age, sex, smoking status, cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.
"Oral medication unfortunately will not manage significant numbers of patients without the additional use of insulin or replacement with insulin," Dr Deed, former national president of Diabetes Australia stated. "It would be a negative outcome if such patients requiring this therapy were somehow frightened or avoided such interventions."
More studies seem to be surfacing since the FDA approved Victoza, a new diabetic treatment drug. Other similar drugs are on their way to approval as well, but without proper guidelines about how low glucose levels should be, then patients suffering from hypoglycemia could decrease their chances of surviving with the dangerous condition.
Written by Amy Munday
HULIQ.com
Written by Amy Munday
Huliq.com
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