Comments on: Death By Diabetes http://www.solvingdiabetes.org/2009/06/22/death-by-diabetes/ A site dedicated to solving diabetes. Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:12:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Scott King http://www.solvingdiabetes.org/2009/06/22/death-by-diabetes/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Scott King Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:55:38 +0000 http://www.hanumanmedicalfoundation.org/solvingdiabetes/?p=157#comment-9 You are absolutely right -- tight control leads to greater hypoglycemia, but the hypoglycimic episodes are much less severe. Reportedly hospitalization required is much less. Your point that death by hypoglycemia is now more important that death by hyperglycemia is certainly true. 2% death from hypoglycemia and complications is much higher 0.02% from hyperglycemia. You are absolutely right — tight control leads to greater hypoglycemia, but the hypoglycimic episodes are much less severe. Reportedly hospitalization required is much less.

Your point that death by hypoglycemia is now more important that death by hyperglycemia is certainly true. 2% death from hypoglycemia and complications is much higher 0.02% from hyperglycemia.

]]> By: JPMarat http://www.solvingdiabetes.org/2009/06/22/death-by-diabetes/comment-page-1/#comment-5 JPMarat Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:31:13 +0000 http://www.hanumanmedicalfoundation.org/solvingdiabetes/?p=157#comment-5 At the opposite end of the spectrum, under the new strict blood sugar control protocols there has been a tripling of episodes of severe hypoglycemia. (V. Briscoe, et al, "Hypoglycemia in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes," Clinical Diabetes, vol. 24, no. 3, p. 115 (2096)) Since 55% of severe hypoglycemia episodes occur during sleep, the patients are often defenseless against them. ("Epidemiology of Severe Hypoglycemia in the DCCT," American Journal of Medicine, vol. 92, no. 3, p. 339 (1992)) Nocturnal hypoglycemia is thought to account for the 'dead-in-bed' syndrome in type 1 diabetics, and accounts for 6% of deaths in type 1 diabetics under age 40. (L. Perlmutter, et al, "Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia," Diabetes Care, vol. 31, p. 2072 (2008)) The NIH reports that 2% to 4% of type 1 diabetics die from hypoglycemia, which causes 48,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year. Those patients who survive episodes of severe hypoglycemia and the many accidents associated with them face a high likelihood of suffering permanent brain damage from the interruption to normal brain metabolic processes. (M. Fugioka, et al, "Specific Changes in the Human Brain after Hypoglycemic Injury," Stroke, vol. 28, p. 584 (1997)) With all this morbidity and mortality from strict blood sugar control, eventually the rising curve of hypoglycemic death in diabetics may meet and cross the sinking curve of hyperglycemic death in diabetes, making intensive control truly 'a cure worse than the disease.' At the opposite end of the spectrum, under the new strict blood sugar control protocols there has been a tripling of episodes of severe hypoglycemia. (V. Briscoe, et al, “Hypoglycemia in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes,” Clinical Diabetes, vol. 24, no. 3, p. 115 (2096)) Since 55% of severe hypoglycemia episodes occur during sleep, the patients are often defenseless against them. (“Epidemiology of Severe Hypoglycemia in the DCCT,” American Journal of Medicine, vol. 92, no. 3, p. 339 (1992)) Nocturnal hypoglycemia is thought to account for the ‘dead-in-bed’ syndrome in type 1 diabetics, and accounts for 6% of deaths in type 1 diabetics under age 40. (L. Perlmutter, et al, “Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia,” Diabetes Care, vol. 31, p. 2072 (2008)) The NIH reports that 2% to 4% of type 1 diabetics die from hypoglycemia, which causes 48,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year. Those patients who survive episodes of severe hypoglycemia and the many accidents associated with them face a high likelihood of suffering permanent brain damage from the interruption to normal brain metabolic processes. (M. Fugioka, et al, “Specific Changes in the Human Brain after Hypoglycemic Injury,” Stroke, vol. 28, p. 584 (1997))

With all this morbidity and mortality from strict blood sugar control, eventually the rising curve of hypoglycemic death in diabetics may meet and cross the sinking curve of hyperglycemic death in diabetes, making intensive control truly ‘a cure worse than the disease.’

]]>