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Pregnant Women with Type 1
Diabetes Have Increased Risk for Severe Hypoglycemia
Severe Hypoglycemia can be a major problem for those with Type 1
diabetes and pregnant.
A new study
shows pregnant women with type 1 diabetes are at an increased risk
for severe hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia
is a less than-normal amount of sugar in the blood. Severe
hypoglycemia can be harmful to a pregnant woman and may lead to
loss of consciousness, seizures and even death. Researchers from
Utrecht University in the Netherlands investigated the frequency
of severe hypoglycemia during the first three months of type 1
diabetic pregnancy and in the four months before pregnancy.
Researchers
studied 278 pregnant type 1 diabetic women. They found a 16
percent increase in the number of severe hypoglycemic episodes
from before the pregnancy to the first trimester. Specifically,
the number of severe hypoglycemic occurrences rose from 0.9
episodes during the 4 months before the pregnancy to 2.6 episodes
during the first part of the pregnancy.
Researchers
found women were at an increases risk of suffering a hypoglycemic
episode during pregnancy if they had episodes before
their pregnancy, if they took higher doses of insulin, or if they
had diabetes for 10 years or longer.
Researchers
conclude the risk of severe hypoglycemia is already present in
women before they get pregnant, but seems to increase during the
first part of pregnancy. They say further research is needed to
determine if strict glycemic control would have an impact on
severe hypoglycemia early in pregnancy.
Diabetes Care,
2002;25:554-559
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FACT:
The Cost
of drugs for the VA have risen over 160 percent in the same
period, to $2.9 billion last year from $1.1 billion in 1996, while
its medical budget has increased just 42 percent. The VA has even
stopped paying for certain drugs and are requiring members to pay
more of the cost of others.
If your
patients are having a problem paying for their medications go to
www.diabetesmeds.org and download the application that will
allow them to get all of their medications for 10 dollars or less
for a 90 day supply.
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