Acute illness — seizures, low blood sugar and stroke
Recognize common acute conditions and provide the right help
Many first aid situations are not caused by an accident, but by sudden illness. A person collapses, has a seizure or suddenly becomes confused. You are not to make a diagnosis — the doctor does — but you must be able to recognize the common acute conditions, give the correct simple help and know when to call 1-1-2. In some of these conditions, time is as crucial a factor as in cardiac arrest.
§Seizure
A seizure can look violent: the person loses consciousness becomes stiff and then has jerky movements. Your most important task is to protect the person from getting hurt — not to stop the seizure. Remove hard and dangerous objects place something soft under the head if needed and do not hold the person down or put anything in their mouth. When the seizure is over the person is often confused; place them in a recovery position and stay with them.
- 01Protect against damage: remove dangerous objects, pad under head
- 02Don't hold and never put anything in your mouth
- 03Time the seizure if you can
- 04After the attack: locked side-lying and rest
- 05Call 1-1-2 for prolonged seizure, repeated seizures, injury or first time
§Low blood sugar
In a person with diabetes, blood sugar can drop too low. It often happens quickly and shows signs like sweating, paleness, trembling, confusion, irritability, or 'drunk' behavior. A conscious person who can swallow should receive quick sugar — e.g. juice, juice or glucose tablets. Improvement usually comes quickly. If the person is unconscious or cannot swallow safely, do not give anything by mouth; place them in the recovery position and call 1-1-2.
§Stroke (apoplexy) — time is brain
A stroke is caused by failing blood supply to the brain and here every minute counts because brain cells are lost over time. Recognition is crucial. A simple memory aid helps you catch the typical signs quickly.
| Sign | How to check |
|---|---|
| Face | Ask the person to smile — does one corner of the mouth droop? |
| Arms | Ask the person to raise both arms — does one drop? |
| Speech | Ask the person to say a sentence — is the speech slurred or wrong? |
| Time | At one of the signs: call 1-1-2 immediately and note the time |
If you see only one of the signs call 1-1-2 immediately and say you suspect a stroke. Note when the symptoms started — it is important information for treatment. Stay with the person keep them calm and avoid giving food and drink as swallowing ability may be affected.
§Common to all acute illnesses
Regardless of condition, the same basic principles apply: create calm and safety, assess consciousness and breathing, and act according to first aid's main points. If a person becomes unconscious but breathes normally, they are placed in the recovery position. If breathing stops being normal, it is treated as cardiac arrest. If possible, ask the person or relatives about known illnesses and medication — that is useful information for the ambulance.
“You must not make the diagnosis — you must recognize the danger signal, provide basic help, and call in time.”
— First aid point