The patient is Mr. N.V.N. (35 years old, Ho Chi Minh City). According to his family, at the New Year's party, he drank alcohol without eating anything. A few hours after returning home, he developed symptoms of hand tremors, sweating, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness and cold skin. The condition quickly worsened with symptoms of slurred speech, headache, blurred vision and fainting. The family immediately took him to the emergency room.
At Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, doctors determined that the patient had severe hypoglycemia on the background of long-term type 2 diabetes. The patient was injected with a high-concentration glucose solution to urgently raise blood sugar, then transferred to the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes for monitoring and treatment.
According to Dr. Lam Van Hoang, Head of the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes, Tam Anh General Hospital, the main cause is that patients drink alcohol on an empty stomach. When the body lacks energy, the liver will break down the stored glycogen to maintain blood sugar. However, the alcohol metabolism process hinders this mechanism, causing glucose levels in the blood to decrease rapidly and causing serious hypoglycemia.
In people with diabetes, the ability to regulate blood sugar is already reduced due to the body's lack or insulin resistance. When drinking alcohol, the risk of blood sugar loss is even higher, especially if you do not eat enough," Dr. Hoang analyzed.
In addition, the patient also suffered from fatty liver and dyslipidemia, factors that increase the risk of complications. After being treated and closely monitoring blood sugar, the patient's condition stabilized and was discharged from the hospital, with instructions to continue taking medication and re-examine periodically.
Experts warn that alcohol-induced hypoglycemia can be confused with normal drunkenness. Many cases of patients falling into a coma while sleeping after drinking alcohol but not being detected in time, leading to respiratory failure, metabolic disorders, and even life-threatening.
Doctors recommend that people with diabetes absolutely do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach, minimize alcohol and beer and need to follow a diet and use medicine according to instructions.
