Q. What will happen without enough insulin?

Without enough insulin two things can happen. Firstly, the cells of the body will be unable to use the glucose in the blood for energy. Secondly, glucose cannot be converted to glycogen in the liver for future use. Thus blood sugar levels will rise and the sugar levels reach above 180 mg/100 ml. The extra sugar will spill into the urine causing high levels of sugar in the urine. So to make energy available the fat sources will be used for getting energy as a result of' which ketoacids in the blood and urine will increase.

The onset of ketoacidosis is gradual but in the young diabetics this development is faster. Diabetic coma can develop in 12-24 hours. Many symptoms are similar to hypoglycemia but additional symptoms can appear. These are excessive urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, drowsiness, unexplained weight loss, slow healing of cuts and wounds, dry itching skin, vaginal itching, abnormal pain and rapid shallow breathing with acetone smell.