Question 1

my wife had blood sugar of 1211. went into a coma, died 5 times, came out it and came home. over the last 3 days she seems angry, confused, talks constantly for hours about nothing. how much damage can happen to the brain in a diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

Hyperosmolar coma: My guess that she had hyperosmolar diabetic coma brought on by poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Usually there's no acidosis but severe dehydration with brain swelling often occurs. I assume this accounts for her cognitive problems now. Hopefully in time these will improve with good diabetic control. I recommend consulting a neurologist to fully evaluate her neurologic status and arrange for test

Question 2

what can you tell me about diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

A bad thing: Hi. Diabetic coma usually refers to a hyperglycemic condition (coma with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in type 1's, and non-ketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar coma or DKA in type 2s. However, coma is also possible due to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in diabetes. None of them are good things, but fortunately, these days we don't lose many folks from any of them.

Question 3

diabetic coma, is there anything that can be done?

Accepted Answer

Treat the diabetes: Your question is not specific.  You can be in a coma from very high or very low glu.  Diabetic ketoacidosis is treated with fluids, insulin, potassium.  The more important question: how can you prevent diabetic coma from happening again?  Sometimes an illness can bring it on (infection, heart attack, etc) but often it occurs when the patient with diabetes is not taking care of himself.

Question 4

is a diabetic coma the same thing as? a regular coma?

Accepted Answer

As people understand: 2 things that people call diabetic coma, diabetic ketoacidosis, sugar get high, acid level in blood get high (you do not have Insulin to burn sugar so you burn protein and fat), and you get severely dehydrated and may go into shock.
Severe hypoglycemic shock, blood sugar gets to low, the patient looses conciousness and might even have a seizure.
Ironically both situations are very different.

Question 5

can hyperglycemia cause a diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

Yes: If the hyperglycemia is high enough it can lead to diabetic coma.  We call this hyperosmolar hyperglycemia coma or syndrome.  Diabetes ketoacidosis coma is another form of diabetic coma but this one is caused by not having Insulin rather than the extreme hyperglycemia (which is just a sign for this coma).

Question 6

how high could your sugar be before you go into a diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

It depends upon: Whether you have ketoacidosis (more common in type 1 diabetes) where coma can occur with glucoses of 600 or more -- or whether you have hyperosmolar coma with severe dehydration (more common in type 2 diabetes) where coma is usually only with a glucose of around 1000 or higher. It's extremely variable, and depends more on state of dehydration. Glucose levels doesn't correlate well with coma.

Question 7

what blood sugar results in a diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

Variable: Each patient is different but this typically occurs at blood sugars greater than 500 mg/dl.

Question 8

which blood sugar reading results in a diabetic coma?

Accepted Answer

Not all blood sugar: A coma does not result as much from the sugar, as the other metabolic changes. With typical type 1, lack of Insulin gives ketoacidosis. Coma is from acidosis, dehydration, etc and the glu may not be extreme (eg 400). A type 2 may get hyperosmolar coma, where glu is very high, but dehydration and electrolyte abnormality is the biggest problem.

Question 9

how long can a diabetic coma last?

Accepted Answer

Varies: Though most wake up significantly within a few hours of getting Insulin (or glucose if hypoglycemic), there can be permanent brain damage if the brain is starved of glucose (from either lack of Insulin to utilize the glucose or hypoglycemia) long enough, .

Question 10

is a diabetic coma like having a regular coma?

Accepted Answer

As people understand: 2 things that people call diabetic coma, diabetic ketoacidosis, sugar get high, acid level in blood get high (you do not have Insulin to burn sugar so you burn protein and fat), and you get severely dehydrated and may go into shock.
Severe hypoglycemic shock, blood sugar gets to low, the patient looses conciousness and might even have a seizure.
Ironically both situations are very different.

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Doctor answers about:

Diabetic coma brain damage

A member asked:

My wife had blood sugar of 1211. went into a coma, died 5 times, came out it and came home. over the last 3 days she seems angry, confused, talks constantly for hours about nothing. how much damage can happen to the brain in a diabetic coma?

A member asked:

What can you tell me about diabetic coma?

A member asked:

Diabetic coma, is there anything that can be done?

A member asked:

Is a diabetic coma the same thing as? a regular coma?

A member asked:

Can hyperglycemia cause a diabetic coma?

A member asked:

How high could your sugar be before you go into a diabetic coma?

A member asked:

What blood sugar results in a diabetic coma?

A member asked:

Which blood sugar reading results in a diabetic coma?

A member asked:

How long can a diabetic coma last?

A member asked:

Is a diabetic coma like having a regular coma?

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