Why is glucagon important for diabetics?

Diabetes has always been associated with the hormone insulin. But another hormone also plays an essential role in the lives of diabetes patients, namely glucagon. What makes this substance so important?

What is glucagon?

Everyone's blood sugar levels are kept in balance by the hormones insulin and glucagon. Insulin ensures that glucose is removed from the blood and can be absorbed by body cells. There the glucose functions as fuel for energy. In diabetes patients, insulin is no longer produced or the body no longer responds properly to this hormone, causing excess glucose to remain in the blood. This is then referred to as hyperglycemia, or in short, hyper. But the opposite is also possible. When there is too little glucose in the blood, the hormone glucagon ensures that the blood sugar level is brought back into balance.

This is done by releasing the stored glucose in the liver. Both glucagon (α cells) and insulin (β cells) are produced in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. By the way, this part of the pancreas is called that because it is in the 19^e century were discovered by the German researcher Paul Langerhans. They also look like small islands when you look at them under a microscope.

Hypo and glucagon

With a hypo, diabetes patients have a blood sugar level that is too low. It is normally recommended to eat or drink something that contains a lot of sugar. For example, dextrose or lemonade. But with severe hypoglycemia, people are too dazed to eat or drink. In that case, a glucagon injection can help. Sometimes people with a hypo are no longer approachable. In that case, someone else will have to inject the glucagon and also call a doctor. So it is highly advisable to inform and instruct friends and family on how to inject the glucagon. A common way to do this is to first mix the prescribed glucagon powder with the accompanying dissolving liquid and then inject it into the body.

First puncture a vial with dissolving liquid with a special syringe. You suck this up and then inject it into a vial with glucagon powder. You gently shake this back and forth while holding the needle in position. When everything is well mixed, the mixture can be injected into the buttock or thigh. It is advisable for diabetes patients to build up a stock of this hormone. It is available with a prescription and you keep it in the refrigerator. By the way, glucagon does not work if you have drunk alcohol, because at that time the liver gives priority to breaking down the alcohol. Glucose is no longer released into the blood. This can lead to a life-threatening hypo that can only be resolved with a glucose infusion in the hospital.

High blood sugar

Swedish researchers at Uppsala University recently discovered why some people with type 2 diabetes not only produce little or no insulin, but also why they produce too much glucagon, even though glucose levels in the blood are already very high. Normally, glucagon is blocked by insulin and other hormones in the pancreas when there is enough or too much glucose in the blood. But in many people with type 2 diabetes, the α-cells, where glucagon is produced, appear to be insensitive to this blockage. This causes even more glucose to enter the blood. In diabetes patients, these values ​​are already very high, because the insulin no longer works properly. They are more likely to suffer from a hyper than from a hypo. It is advisable to regularly check your blood sugar level with a glucose meter. This prevents extreme values ​​in the blood.