Title : The hidden link: Exploring the asthma and diabetes connection in emergency care
Abstract:
Blood glucose regulation is a dynamic and ever present process in all of us, regardless of whether an individual has been diagnosed with diabetes or any related metabolic condition. Daily routines such as eating, exercising, sleeping, or even something as seemingly routine as driving can trigger significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels. These changes occur naturally, but when chronic conditions, medications, and acute illnesses are involved they can become far more complex and clinically significant.
One such condition with emerging relevance in this context is asthma. Increasing bodies of research suggest a significant relationship between asthma and diabetes where individuals diagnosed with either of these conditions face a heightened risk of developing the other over the course of their lifetime. This interrelationship is further complicated by the medications commonly used in treatment, many of which, while effective for one condition, can inadvertently worsen the other.
Healthcare professionals, particularly those working in urgent and emergency care settings, are often faced with this unique clinical challenge and the difficult task of making rapid treatment decisions that may carry unintended consequences. Treating an asthmatic patient, for instance, without awareness of underlying, possibly undiagnosed diabetic markers, can lead to adverse outcomes both in the immediate and long term setting.
This presentation will explore the clinical risks and considerations faced by frontline healthcare workers when managing patients with asthma who may also present with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetic markers. We will examine the physiological interactions between treatments, discuss case based risks, and highlight how emergency interventions can influence glycaemic control, sometimes detrimentally. In addition, we will consider the broader context, including the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient health and comorbidity management.
Through discussion, we hope to shed light on the nuanced interplay between respiratory and metabolic conditions in emergency healthcare and begin shaping safer, more informed interventions for patients navigating both.
