A POTENTIALLY dangerous complication of diabetes will be a talking point in Bradford as a part of a national awareness campaign.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is encouraging its staff and patients to talk more about Hypoglycaemia, commonly referred to as Hypos, by joining in the UK-wide campaign.

The complication can often go under-recognised or under-reported by people with diabetes, but the Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust hopes to change that by raising its profile during Hypo Awareness Week 2014 which runs until Sunday.

Hypos happens when glucose in the blood falls to a low level - they are one of the most common diabetes complications with symptoms including a pounding heart, trembling, hunger, difficulty concentrating and blurred vision. If left untreated, it can become serious and cause unconsciousness.

Andrea Lealman, Diabetes Inpatient Specialist, added: "Many people with diabetes may be missing the warning signs of hypos.

"Ensuring that both patients and healthcare professionals know how to recognise and treat hypos, and are actively discussing them in consultation, means that we are better able to reduce the number and severity of incidences. This is an important message both inside and outside of hospital."

There are 26,000 people living with diabetes across the Bradford district and it is estimated that by 2030, as many as one in ten people across Bradford and Airedale will have the condition

According to recent figures, 15.5 per cent of all inpatients - or one in seven - at Bradford Teaching Hospitals have diabetes, which is in line with the national average.

The same statistics from a national diabetes audit showed 23 per cent of Bradford diabetic patients had experienced at least one episode of mild hypoglycaemia with 11.5 per cent of them experiencing a severe episode.

The Foundation Trust now has a dedicated Think Glucose diabetes specialist team which educates and raises awareness of the condition among fellow health professionals and patients.

The team has also set up a system where ‘hypo boxes’ containing everything professionals need to treat a hypoglycaemia episode have been put in all clinical areas.

Director of Health Intelligence, Diabetes UK, Simon O’Neill said: "People with diabetes can fail to report hypos to clinicians for a range of reasons, including lack of awareness, a fear of losing their driving licence and a belief that their healthcare professional is not able to make a difference.”