Dealing With Low Blood Sugar When Your Child Takes Insulin

Dealing With Low Blood Sugar When Your Child Takes Insulin
Introduction
What is low blood sugar?
Why is low blood sugar a problem?
How do you deal with low blood sugar?
Where to go from here
Credits

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Introduction

Low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, occurs when the sugar (glucose) level in the blood of a person with diabetes drops below what the body needs to function normally. Taking too much insulin, not eating enough food or skipping meals, or exercising more than usual can cause blood sugar levels to drop rapidly.

If your child's blood sugar level drops very low and he or she does not get help, your child could go into a coma and possibly die.

These four simple steps might save your child's life:

Test your child's blood sugar often so that you do not have to guess when his or her blood sugar is low.
Be alert to the early signs of low blood sugar: sweating, shakiness, hunger, blurred vision, and dizziness.
Have your child keep some hard candy, raisins, or other foods that contain sugar with him or her at all times. Your child should eat some at the first sign of low blood sugar.
Teach all of your child's caregivers what to do if your child's blood sugar is very low.

What is low blood sugar?

Why is low blood sugar a problem?

How do you deal with low blood sugar?

Where to go from here

More information about children and diabetes can be found in these topics:

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Last updated:	August 23, 2007
Author:	Merrill Hayden
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
Editors:	Marianne Flagg, Denele Ivins

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