This article looks at the symptoms and causes of diabetic hyperphagia, including how the condition is treated.
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What Is Hyperphagia?
Hyperphagia is not a disorder but rather a symptom of a medical condition.
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It is characterized by an abnormally strong, persistent sensation of hunger that is not satisfied with eating.
This can lead to overeating and weight gain.
What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Hyperphagia?
While everyone has cravings from time to time, the experience of hyperphagia is separate from normal hunger.
Diabetic Hyperphagia and Binge Eating
Diabetic hyperphagia is not the same thing as binge eating.
With binge eating, there is an emotional component that compels someone to eat even if they arent hungry.
With diabetic hyperphagia, there is no emotional component; a person eats excessively simply because they feel hungry.
Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key, allowing blood glucose into cells for use as energy.
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
Hypoglycemia can occur in people with diabetes and without.
In both cases, it can happen if you dont eat enough food and your blood glucose drops.
In people with diabetes, it can also occur when there is too much insulin in the bloodstream.
When this happens, the liver stops secreting glucose, causing blood sugar levels to drop.
Episodes of hypoglycemia can also occur at night, leading to nighttime food cravings.
Symptoms of DKA include:
Another one of the early symptoms of DKA is hyperphagia.
As insulin starts to drop, the corresponding rise in blood glucose can manifest in hyperglycemic food cravings.
As a result, a person will lose all their appetite and have no interest in eating.
Among other things, it directly affects the pituitary gland.
This can cause an increased appetite along with a host of symptoms related to changes in your metabolism.
Though people eat more, they often lose weight due to these changes.
Other risk factors include:
How Is Hyperphagia Diagnosed?
It may be difficult to distinguish hyperphagia from simple food cravings.
Ultimately, the hallmark of hyperphagia is persistent food cravings that are not relieved with food.
How is Hyperphagia Treated?
The most effective treatment for hyperphagia is to treat its underlying cause.
In the case of diabetic hyperphagia, managing diabetes will also manage hyperphagia.
Controlling Diabetes
The treatment approach for diabetes depends largely on the bang out of diabetes.
throw in 1 diabetes requires careful blood sugar monitoring and the administration of insulin.
Monitoring can be done using at-home devices.
Insulin is either injected or delivered through a pump that is affixed to the skin.
jot down 2 diabetes may or may not require medication such as insulin or oral diabetes medication.
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