WARRINGTON Hospital nurses have been educating patients and fellow staff members on how the humble Jelly Baby or a glass of Coca Cola can prevent a coma.

The hospital’s diabetes team has been raising awareness of the signs, symptoms and treatments of hypoglycaemia as part of Hypo Awareness Week 2017.

Caused by low blood sugar levels, diabetes patients can fall into a coma if hypoglycaemia is left untreated.

But the condition can be remedied by sugary foods, with Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation trust keeping special boxes stocked with tasty treatments including Lucozade and digestive biscuits on its wards.

Specialist diabetes nurse Sue McDonough said: “If your blood glucose level is below four, you will tend to get warning signs and symptoms including feeling a bit feint or dizzy, having blurred vision, confusion and sweating.

“It’s a short-term condition that needs immediate treatment of something sugary.

“We recommend something like five Jelly Babies, a carton of concentrated orange juice or full-sugar coke, followed by something to eat afterwards, in order to treat hypoglycaemia.

“If not treated, the person will become more confused or agitated and eventually you could collapse and go into a coma.

“It can be a very serious complication, but we’re trying to highlight the importance of recognising signs and symptoms and how to treat them, and to try to make healthcare professionals aware so that they can recognise and treat hypoglycaemia patients.”

Using virtual reality technology, nurses across the trust had the opportunity to try out a hypoglycaemia simulator on Tuesday, October 3, in order to experience a typical patient’s symptoms as part of Hypo Awareness Week – which ran from October 2 to 8.

And Warrington Hospital’s diabetes team have issued some top tips for diabetes patients in order to prevent them from suffering from hypoglycaemia.

Sue added: “From a diabetes patient’s point of view, the key thing is monitoring their blood glucose levels as well as being aware of the signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia.

“If they are having too much of their medication, skipping and delaying meals or increasing the amount of activity that they do then all of these things can make hypoglycaemia more likely.

“Preventing hypoglycaemia is about testing blood sugar levels, carrying their treatments with them and seeing their healthcare professional if they are having regular hypos.”