High Blood Sugar: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Complications

High blood sugar or medically termed hyperglycaemia is a medical condition that describes the abnormal levels of glucose in the blood. The liver and muscles produce the sugar in the blood, but most of the blood sugar comes from foods and drinks that comprises majorly of carbohydrates. Hyperglycaemia is the medical term used for a high blood sugar level. It’s a common problem in people with diabetes. It affects people with type 1 diabetes and types 2 diabetes, as well as to women in pregnancy, developing a condition called gestational diabetes.

It can occasionally affect people who are not a patient of diabetes, but usually those who are seriously ill, such as those who had a stroke or heart attack, in the recent past or are suffering from a severe infection. The condition occurs when the body does not produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that absorbs glucose into cells and breaks down glucose to use as energy.

What is the Normal Blood Glucose Level?

Blood sugar Fasting: 70mg/dl-100mg/dL
Blood Sugar Random: lower than 200mg/dL

What are Symptoms of High Blood Sugar Levels?

Following are some symptoms that are commonly associated with high blood sugar levels in the body.

Fatigue

Fatigue may only not be a sign of high blood sugar levels. Other problems can result in fatigue. But consider fatigue as an alarming sign of high blood sugar level as it is the early response of high sugar levels or even fluctuations in sugar levels in the body.

Many people feel extremely low or even sleepy after a meal. It can attribute to the reason that meal which is high carbohydrates concentration raises your blood sugar level. The increased blood sugar also slows the circulation, which causes a diminished supply of oxygen to the cells, which forces the body to work harder, resulting in fatigue if this is happening continuously, its time to speak to a medical professional.

Frequent Urination and Diabetes

Frequent and excessive urination can be an early sign of the onset of diabetes. If blood glucose levels are high, the body kidneys will remove the excess of glucose from the blood by filtering out more water resulting in an increased need of urination. If you are feeling an increase in the frequency to urinate or are going to pass urine for more than two times at night, it can be a sign of high blood sugar levels.

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Increased Thirst

frequent urination and increased thirst are common diabetes signs and are related to each other. When your blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys are forced to work harder to filter and reabsorb the excess of glucose. The kidneys excrete excess glucose in the urine, by dragging the fluid from your tissues out of the body making you dehydrated. This is the prime reason why you feel thirsty and drink more water. Contributing to problem increased fluid intake causes you to urinate even more, and the cycle continues.

Blurred Vision

When the blood sugar level in the body is high, it can affect many other tissues of the body. High blood sugar level can cause a short-term blurred vision. The primary cause of blurry vision is that sugar causes the blockage of blood flow to the retina. The diabetic patients should be alert during driving, handling machines or other chores like cooking etc. This damage is temporary and is unlike the one that occurs in diabetes mellitus.

Poor healing of Wounds

High blood sugar levels increase the chances of inflammation. If the blood sugar levels are consistently high; it makes it difficult for the wounds to heal.

How to Diagnose High Blood Sugar?

blood sugar level monotoring — Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Various kinds of blood tests can diagnose high blood sugar levels. These include:

Random blood glucose: The test determines the blood sugar level measurements at an arbitrary point during the day. Average values range between 70 and 125 mg/dL.

Fasting blood glucose: This test takes blood sugar level measurements early in the morning before eating or drinking anything at least for 12 hours. Normal fasting blood glucose levels are under 100 mg/dL. Levels above 100 mg/dL and up to 125 mg/dL are considered as prediabetes, while levels of 126 mg/dL or above needs a diagnostic test for diabetes.

Oral glucose tolerance test: In this test, blood sugar levels are determined at a given time, and the reading is recorded. Another reading is noted after consuming a pre-determined dose of sugar. This test is mainly used to diagnose gestational diabetes.

Personal use Glucometers: This is a common and easy to use device used by many people, especially the diabetic patients, to keep an eye at their blood sugar levels. A drop of blood on the diagnostic strip is inserted into the meter, and the reading shows the blood sugar levels.

How to prevent High Blood Sugar (Hyperglycaemia)?

There are many ways to reduce your risk of severe or prolonged high blood sugar levels and can be achieved by changing the diet and simple lifestyle.

Be careful what you eat – keep a check on snacking and eating sugary foods or carbohydrates affecting your blood sugar level.
If diabetic, follow the treatment plan –It is a must to take your insulin or other diabetes medications as recommended by your health professional.
Remain active as much as possible – A daily workout routine or regular exercise helps to keep your blood sugar levels under control. However, you must consult with your doctor if you’re taking diabetes medication, as excessive training can lead to hypoglycaemia.
Take extra care when you’re ill – Blood sugar levels can fluctuate during illness. If you have diabetes, seek help from you, healthcare provider, to control high or low blood sugar levels, keeping them in range.
Monitor blood sugar level regularly – It is essential to use a device to check your blood sugar level at home regularly so you can spot an increase early and take suitable measures to decrease the high blood sugar levels.

Is High Blood Sugar or Hyperglycaemia Serious?

The prime intent of diabetes treatment is to keep blood sugar levels in a normal range. But if you have diabetes, no matter how concerned you are about your health, you’re likely to have high blood sugar levels at some point. It’s essential to consider and treat high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia), as it can lead to complex health problems if left untreated. Occasional moderate elevations at various times are not usually a cause for concern and can be treated easily and even return to normal on their own. But continuously high blood sugar levels can be potentially threatening if blood sugar levels become very high or stay high consistently. Persistently high blood sugar levels can cause life-threatening complications, such as:

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) – a condition causing the body to break down fat and use it as a source of energy, leading to the threat of developing a diabetic coma.
Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS) – severe dehydration, as the body struggles to get rid of excess sugar. This phenomenon is more common in people with type 2 diabetes.
High blood sugar levels for an extended time (over months or years) can cause permanent damage to eyes, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels.

The Bottom Line

If you find your blood sugar levels to be consistently high, speak to your doctor or diabetes healthcare providers. It’s a sign that you need to change your treatment or lifestyle to keep your blood sugar levels within a standard parameter.