Hyperglycemia: symptoms of high blood sugar

Hyperglycemia is when the sugar level in your blood is too high. A 'hyper' mainly occurs in people with diabetes. The body then produces too little insulin, or the insulin does not work properly (insulin resistance), causing glucose to build up in the blood. Without treatment, hyperglycemia can have serious consequences.

Also read: Insulin and diabetes

Which values ​​indicate hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia?

• Before meals: ?70-110 mg/dl
• 2 hours after meal: less than 180 mg/dl
• Hypoglycemia (too low value): less than 60-70 mg/dl
• Hyperglycemia (too high value): when the blood sugar level rises sharply and remains above 250 mg/dl (this usually happens gradually, over a few hours to days)

Please note that these blood sugar levels are a guideline. Your levels may vary depending on your age and the type of diabetes you have. Contact your doctor or healthcare team to determine your target levels.

Also read: Hypoglycemia (hypo): symptoms, causes and treatments

Symptoms of hyperglycemia

Symptoms of high blood sugar usually come on gradually, and only become noticeable when your blood sugar becomes very high. Common symptoms include:

• to be very thirsty
• pee a lot
• feeling weak or tired
• blurred vision
• lose weight

Also read: Financial benefits for children with diabetes

Causes of hyperglycemia

Common causes of high blood sugar in people with diabetes include:

• to be sick
• to be stressed
• eating too much sugary or starchy food
• to be less active than usual
• skipping doses of diabetes medications

How do you get your sugar down?

If you have diabetes, the first thing to do is try to prevent your blood sugar levels from getting too high.

• take all diabetes medications prescribed to you as advised by your doctor or healthcare team
• don't eat too much sugary or starchy food
• try to find ways to cope with stress
• exercise regularly
• losing weight in case of overweight

Also read: Diabetes and Ramadan: How to fast safely?

Treatment of hyperglycemia

Continue to drink plenty of water and check your blood sugar levels regularly.

1. Diabetes type 1: inject extra (ultra)fast-acting insulin according to your supplementary injection schedule. If the insulin deficiency is not remedied, you run the risk of ketoacidosis (see further in the text). This situation can be life-threatening. At values ​​from 250 mg/dl and certainly if you are ill, have abdominal pain or are vomiting, it is therefore important to detect the production of ketones as early as possible. With the help of specific test strips you can determine the presence of ketones in your urine or blood.
2. Diabetes type 2: If the high values ​​persist, inject extra (ultra)fast-acting insulin. If you cannot inject extra insulin, contact your doctor in good time if your blood sugar levels persist.

Also read: Diabetic dermopathy: what are sugar spots?

Is hyperglycemia dangerous?

It’s usually not a big deal if your blood sugar is elevated for a short period of time. Hyperglycemia can cause serious problems if it stays high for a long time or gets very high. For example, you run the risk of:

• permanent damage to the nerves in your hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy)
• permanent damage to your eyes and problems with your vision (diabetic retinopathy)
• life-threatening conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis

Also read: Diabetes and depression: a worrying duo