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Signs and Symptoms of Hyperglycemia

An Overview of the Symptoms of Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is a condition that typically occurs when the amount of glucose in the blood is too high. Although hyperglycemia usually affects diabetics, it can also occur in people without diabetes or other underlying conditions.

Some of the main factors that can cause hyperglycemia in people with diabetes include illness, changes in physical activity and diet, not taking enough or skipping glucose-lowering drugs, or non-diabetes medication. Hyperglycemia needs immediate medical attention because if uncontrolled, it can easily lead to a wide range of life-threatening complications, including diabetes coma and complications affecting your kidneys, heart, nerves, and eyes.

There are two main kinds of hyperglycemia:

After-meal (Postprandial) hyperglycemia where the blood glucose is greater than 180 mg/dL two hours after eating.
Fasting hyperglycemia where the blood sugar is greater than 130 mg/dL after not drinking or eating for at least eight hours.

People living with type 1 diabetes are generally susceptible to ketoacidosis (a build-up of acids in the blood). Therefore, for people with type 1 diabetes and people who are at risk of it, hyperglycemia can lead to a deadly condition in which the body is unable to process glucose, known as HHNS (hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome). People with HHNS have darker pee and tend to urinate less often as they become more dehydrated.

Symptoms of hyperglycemia

Most people rarely notice any hyperglycemia symptoms until their blood sugar levels are significantly elevated – typically to levels above 180 mg/dL or 10 mmol/L. Hyperglycemia symptoms usually develop gradually over several days or even weeks and symptoms become worse the longer blood glucose levels stay high. However, it’s essential to keep in mind that some people who have type 2 diabetes for extended periods of time may not experience any symptoms despite having elevated blood glucose levels.

Early signs of hyperglycemia

It is essential to identify the early signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia in order to seek prompt medical attention. Some of the early signs and symptoms include:

Headache
Frequent urination
Fatigue
Increased thirst
Blurred vision

Later Signs of hyperglycemia

Trouble concentrating
Weight loss
Tingling or numbness in the feet
Blood glucose level higher than 180mg/dL

If untreated, hyperglycemia can lead to the buildup of ketones (toxic acids) in the urine and blood (ketoacidosis). Later signs and symptoms include:

Shortness of breath
Confusion
Dry mouth
Fruity-smelling breath
Abdominal pain
General weakness
Nausea and vomiting
Coma

Untreated hyperglycemia can cause other serious complications such as:

Impaired vision
Skin and vaginal infections
Slow-healing sores and cuts
Damage to the kidneys, blood vessels, and eyes
Intestinal problems including diarrhea and chronic constipation
Nerve damage leading to insensitive, cold, or painful feet, erectile dysfunction, or loss of hair.

Causes of Hyperglycemia

During digestion, our bodies break down carbs from food – such as pasta, rice, and bread – into sugar molecules such as glucose. Glucose is normally absorbed directly into the bloodstream after eating; however, it requires insulin’s assistance to be absorbed by cells in tissues.

When your blood glucose level is high, the pancreas is stimulated to release insulin which is essential for the optimum functioning of cells.

Extra glucose is usually stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Due to this process, the amount of glucose in the bloodstream is lowered hence preventing it from rising to dangerously high levels.

Conditions such as diabetes lower the effects of insulin on the body. Consequently, glucose builds up in the bloodstream and may reach high levels (hyperglycemia) if left untreated.

Risk factors

Some of the factors that can contribute to dangerously high blood sugar levels include:

Being inactive
Not using prescribed medication such as insulin
Having an infection or illness
Use of certain medications, including steroids
Using expired insulin
Having surgery or being injured
Emotional stress

Learn how to manage your diabetes HERE!

When should you see your doctor?

Seek medical assistance immediate medical attention if:
Your blood sugar levels are consistently above 13.3 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) and you have toxic acids (ketones) in your urine
You’re sick and are unable to keep any fluids or food down
You’re experiencing ongoing vomiting or diarrhea, but you are able to tolerate some drinks or foods
You have a persistent fever
You’re having trouble keeping your blood sugar levels within the recommended range

Maintaining your blood glucose levels within the recommended range plays a major role in preventing most diabetes-related complications such as kidney damage (diabetic neuropathy), cardiovascular disease, neuropathy (nerve damage), kidney failure, joint and bone problems, gum and teeth infections, and cataracts.

So what is considered high blood sugar?

What are the effects of high blood sugar?

What are the effects of high blood sugar? High blood sugar is extremely dangerous and affects almost every body system. High blood sugar, more commonly called hyperglycemia, causes damage to the body if it stays like that for too long. Diabetes is severe high blood sugar.

This condition affects over 30 million people in the United States alone. This disease is quickly becoming an epidemic that has most nations taking notice.

Diabetes is where the pancreas organ is not working efficiently and producing the needed amounts of a vital hormone called insulin. Insulin is responsible for the energy that your body has. It must bond with the sugar in the blood before it can be absorbed by the cells. So if there is not enough insulin two things happen.

The first thing is that the body starts to weaken as it doesn’t get the fuel it needs. The second severe thing is that the glucose levels begin to rise rapidly. Once those glucose levels reach a certain point they begin to damage the body and some of its main systems. The most common damage that occurs from diabetes is damage to the heart, kidney, eyes, nerves, and the chance of getting diseases. So this means that controlling your blood sugar is extremely important. But what are the effects of high blood sugar?

The most common effects of high blood sugar are damage to main systems. The kidneys become damaged as the kidneys have to pull the excess glucose out of the blood. The heart is damaged by the excess glucose it has to pump. The eyes are extremely susceptible to the damage caused by the high blood sugar levels. The nerves bodies wide are damaged but is mostly felt in the feet. So now you know the effects of high blood sugar.

What are symptoms of type ii diabetes?

What are symptoms of type ii diabetes? Diabetes is a very serious condition that changes the lives of everyone who come into contact with the diabetic. This condition is affecting the entire world and is quickly becoming a major problem.

Over 30 million people are affected with the condition. Type 2 diabetes is where the pancreas organ is failing to produce enough insulin. Or the pancreas is producing enough but the body is not excepting the insulin as it should be.

This makes the glucose levels in the blood begin to rise to extremely high levels. When the blood sugar levels start to reach levels above 140 the body begins to suffer damage. The damage that is most commonly associated with the high blood glucose levels is damage to the heart, kidney, eyes, and nerves. In fact all systems are damaged by the sugar overload but these systems are most affected by it.

The damage that is done by the diabetes condition is permanent and cannot be reversed in any way. So this means that controlling your high blood sugar is a extremely important problem. This also means that spotting the disease must be done early before too much damage can be done. So what are symptoms of type ii diabetes?

Symptoms of type ii diabetes are the same as type 1 diabetes. Excessive thirst is the first. This is caused by the body trying to rid itself of the excess glucose that is in the blood. To accompany the excessive thirst comes excessive urination. The next symptom is fatigue as the body isn’t getting the needed amounts of fuel. The next and vital symptom is excessive weight loss as the body tries to get the fuel it needs. So talk to your doctor about symptoms of type ii diabetes.

Lower Blood Sugar Fast

The chief concern among diabetics and those who are running the risk of diabetes is high blood sugar and people are forever looking for new ways to lower blood sugar fast. The truth is that once blood sugar levels are raised the only way possible to lower them quickly is through the use of insulin. Without insulin the blood sugar levels will only drop very slowly as long as no other food is eaten and the body rids itself of excess glucose through other means, and this definitely will not lower blood sugar fast.

When sugars and carbohydrates are ingested the body converts these into glucose, and while glucose is used by the cells of the body for energy, if healthy blood glucose levels are not maintained damage can be done to many of the body’s systems.

Glucose, once in the blood can only be used by the cells when insulin is present. It is the insulin which causes the glucose to be able to enter the cells where it is used for energy, and without insulin or in cases of insulin resistance the glucose can build to unhealthy levels in the blood and without insulin it is impossible to lower blood sugar fast.

The healthy blood glucose levels for normal people is between 60 and 100, and any glucose level higher or lower then this may signify the development of diabetes. In most cases the onset of diabetes will be accompanied with increased thirst, increased urination and incessant hunger.

If you have experienced these symptoms for any length of time it may be a good idea to visit your doctor for a simple glucose tolerance test which will determine if your body is regulating glucose correctly. If you are diagnosed with diabetes and you carefully manage your treatment you can still live a long, normal, and active life as long as you carefully maintain healthy blood glucose levels by keeping tabs on your eating habits and medication usage and remember, once its elevated there’s no way to lower your blood sugar fast.

Foods with Glucose

In our present age when it seems that every aisle is covered with brightly colored wrappers and packages that be your attention and call out to you purporting to be the perfect food is is no wonder that foods with glucose are so prevalent. Glucose is a simple sugar that is needed as fuel by every cell in the body and if all goes well with the way the body handles glucose intake and metabolisis glucose can be a good thing. However in persons with diabetes glucose intake must be severely limited in order to maintain a healthy blood sugar.

Glucose, as a simple sugar is one of the chief building blocks of carbohydrates and therefore it is easy to know that foods that are high in carbohydrates are also foods that contain glucose as the body simply breaks the carbs down into glucose once it is ingested. This means that dairy products, potatoes, breads, pastas, potatoes and rice are some of the foods that contain the most glucose and can quickly elevate glucose levels in the body. Fruits are perhaps the best source of glucose as they generally contain the simplest of sugars and are excellent sources of glucose. Meats and fish as a general rule are not foods that contain glucose, as they are primarily sources of protein, though many cured, smoked, canned, and processed meat products have some form of sugar added and this makes them…you guessed it…foods that contain glucose.

Though glucose is absolutely essential for fuel to keep the body going, it must be remembered that too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. In a normal person, excess glucose is converted into fat and stored for use later, this results in weight gain. In cases of diabetes and other metabolic problems which effect insulin production or use glucose levels can rise to the point where this simple sugar can begin to damage organs and body systems and result in coma, or even death. Foods that contain glucose are an absolute essential for life, but their intake should be done with sense and moderation.