How low is dangerously low for blood sugar?

Question:

My uncle has type 2 diabetes and my mother said his blood sugar went down to 33. She says he could have died. Is that true? His normal blood sugar is 130 now that he's on medication. She lives next door to him and he was able to call her. She said he was cold and was sweating profusely. It took about 45 min. and much juice to get the sugar back up. Should she have called for an ambulance? This is my favorite uncle. Can't have anything happening to him. Please help.

Answers:
If someone is taking insulin a dangerous low can be at 70. The thing people need to remember is that meters are not 100% accurate. A reading of 70 could be as low as 56...and could still be dropping. That is why those taking insulin should aim for the higher end of normal. There are also some drugs that stimulate the pancreas to make more insulin and can cause lows. It's unlikely though that someone who is low for a short period of time is going to die from it unless they've really over did the insulin or drugs. The liver and muscles will release glucagon that will raise glucose levels and they're usually are aware that their glucose levels are dropping and can treat themselves. However, some people have hypoglycemia unawareness and can not tell when they're getting low. This happens with people who have diabetic for a long time and have had lots of lows. It's important that anyone who is taking a insulin, and some diabetic drugs, have a glycagon injection kit with them at all times and someone who knows how to use it in case they become unconscious or are not conscious enough to take in glucose, like juice. Your uncle should report this episode to his doctor and if he's staying on the low side of normal he may need to adjust his medications/insulin so that his blood sugar runs a little higher. He should also test every few hours and eat something to keep it from going to low. It's very scary for someone to witness one of these episodes, especially when they're severe. Older diabetics are usually given higher glucose targets because they're so sensitive medications and changes in their glucose levels. The other thing that concerns me is the "a lot of juice". I know from experience that people are always over feeding me when I'm low. This leaves me with way too high glucose later, because the liver has kicked in AND juice or coke or whatever. Use the 15/15 rule. Give 15 grams of carbs, like half a can of real pop, or half a cup of juice and then wait 15 minutes, check glucose, if it's back to normal great, if not, repeat 15/15 until they're in their normal range. It's scary, you want it to come up right now, but over treating can cause a rollercoaster ride that is hard to get back to normal. An ambulance is only needed if he is unable to take in sugar and there's not glucagon shot to give him (although some people feel more comfortable calling one even when they gave the shot) Or if he's unconscious and no one knows how long he's been that way.

my doctor says below 70 is low, above 200 is high

yes you can die from low blood sugar. tell him to test really often and make sure he eats at least every 4 hours, even if it's not much!

she's right and she did the right thing...an ambulance would be needed only if he were not conscious and/or did not respond to ingesting sugar (juice). make sure he gets and keeps some glucose tablets or gels from the pharmacy's diabetic care section to keep handy, as they are faster-acting than orange juice

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How low is dangerously low for blood sugar?

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