She wasn’t drunk, she was sick. We are talking about a 34-year-old woman who was detained by employees of the Railway Guard at the station Lodz Fabrychna. Ultimately, it turned out that the woman was not intoxicated, but suffered from type 1 diabetes. Doctors warn that both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia can cause symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication.
The case was loud throughout Poland in April. How did this situation come about? The SOK representatives noticed that the woman was unable to keep her balance until she finally fell onto the platform. She was not alone. She was accompanied by her 6-year-old son, who, according to eyewitnesses, was crying and shouting that “mom is dead!”. The SOK officers quickly intervened.
An announcement on the website of the Railway Guard showed that “The boy’s mother was so drunk that she could not get up and fell on the platform. Fortunately, the woman was not injured in the fall. Employees of the SOK took care of the child of a drunk woman, and then, due to the fact that the 34-year-old mother could no longer take care of her 6-year-old son, they called a police patrol to the place. Law enforcement officers checked the woman with a breathalyzer. she was sober. She admitted that during the trip she felt unwell and lost consciousness. It was later revealed that he suffered from type 1 diabetes.
“Even services have a problem distinguishing lollipop from drunkenness”
When it turned out that the real reason for the woman’s behavior was not alcohol intoxication, but diabetes, the message disappeared from the page. The SOK staff promised to apologize for the mistake.
The case angered diabetics. “Lack of knowledge, education and simple sympathy! Only frequent and loud talk about diabetes can alleviate the problem!— read in the Facebook profile. Diabetes Federation. - “I have seen several times that Poles are practically unaware of the symptoms of diabetes. In general, even the services have a problem distinguishing a drop of sugar from intoxication. - says one of the comments under the post about the woman.
Internet users began to wonder if the cause of the woman’s behavior is hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. In both cases, the patient may behave as if he were intoxicated. - may fall, speak indistinctly, stagger.
She probably had hypoglycemia, that is, a sudden drop in blood glucose levels. Characteristic symptoms of this condition include impaired concentration, speech, convulsions, or loss of consciousness. - explains the doctor. Karolina Kendzierska-Kapuza, diabetologist and nephrologist.
This is the other extreme hyperglycemiawhen blood glucose (sugar) values exceed 400 mg/dL. “It is increasingly common in people who have never been diagnosed with diabetes at all. They do not pay attention to the fact that they are losing weight, they urinate more often, they drink more fluids, they are drowsy and weak, and as a result of dehydration, their blood pressure drops. As a result, they lose consciousness and unconsciousness and even fall into a state called hyperglycemic coma (hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar syndrome).” says the doctor.
How to recognize diabetes?
According to Dr. Karolina Kendzierska-Kapuza, it is difficult for the average passer-by to recognize a diabetic who is having an attack. Until she has a lifeline on her wrist or an insulin pen in her purse. It is not always possible to determine by the smell of the breath whether the person we are helping is in a state of intoxication. With ketoacidosis (a serious complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin), the breath smells like acetone or fermented apples - some attribute this to alcohol. In connection with, see a person unconscious or flips put it in a safe place and call for professional help, call 999 or 112. Only a paramedic or a doctor will be able to assess the cause of the patient’s impotence.
“All you need to do is take a quick breathalyser test and take your finger glucose. Each ambulance team has the ability to test with a glucometer, so they can quickly make a diagnosis. Worse, if the assessment is carried out by employees of the Municipal Guard or the police. They do not always have medical knowledge, and as a result, patients instead of an ambulance end up in a sobering-up station” - adds dr. Carolina Kendzierska-Kapuza.
Doctors are calling for greater social sensitivity to people who may appear drunk. They may need help too. And sometimes the cause of their behavior can be diabetes, stroke or heart attack. Another call is made to diabetics to call for help when they feel unwell.
Source: Wprost
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