In this article Martha Stewart discusses how illness affects diabetes management and outlines the ‘sick-day advice’ that should be shared with people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes Intercurrent illness can cause glucose levels to rise in people with diabetes mellitus. These illnesses include the common cold, diarrhoea and vomiting, urinary tract infections and COVID-19. If diabetes is not managed well during illness it can escalate and result in more serious conditions, such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS), which would require emergency hospital admission. This article discusses how illness affects diabetes management and outlines the ‘sick-day advice’ that should be shared with people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
