SHORT-TERM complications. These are caused mainly by imbalance of the sugar level.

If glucose levels are too high then this is hyperglycemia which untreated can lead to coma and even death although this is rare nowadays - especially in non-insulin dependant diabetics. Hyperglycemia, especially if associated with ketones in the urine is therefore potentially very serious should seek IMMEDIATE medical advice. The causes of hyperglycemia are:

• Undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes, especially insulin dependent diabetes, can quite often first come to be noticed through an illness directly caused by a very high sugar.
• Insufficient medication - either tablets or insulin.
• Inappropriate diet. Excess intake can be inadvertent - check food labels.
• Illness. Infections and other illnesses, even colds, can cause the body to release more of its own sugar.
• Change in exercise habits. Reduction in exercise - e.g. after an injury or on holiday reduces the body's energy requirements. Some manual job s may utilize a lot of energy.
• If the glucose levels are too low then this is hypoglycemia. This can also be dangerous and needs to be promptly recognized and treated. The causes of hypoglycemia are:
• Insufficient intake, missing a meal or eating too little. Delaying a meal, especially after taking medication as normal can cause the sugar to go too low.
• Too much insulin. Also, the sulphonylurea drugs can cause hypoglycemia as they act by stimulating the production of insulin. Long acting insulins and some sulphonylureas can cause prolonged hypoglycemia or hypoglycemia which is liable to recur after initial recovery. After initial treatment of the attack with GLUCAGON INJECTION or sugar it is vital to eat a meal of some substance to prevent the hypoglycemia recurring.
• Exercise. Unusual amounts of exercise can cause a hypoglycemia as the glucose in the blood goes to the muscles to give them energy. If you know that you are going to do extra exercise then you must either consume extra calories or reduce your insulin. Diabetics on sulphonylureas are also prone to this problem and are going to find it difficult to adjust their medication so extra calories are going to be required in this situation - especially if the sugar is normally quite well controlled.