Causes of Hyperglycemia in Diabetes, Beware of Symptoms and Risk Factors

Symptoms of Hyperglycemia

Symptoms of hyperglycemia may not occur until blood sugar levels rise above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Even at this level, symptoms may not occur immediately or at all.

A person may have hyperglycemia but not experience noticeable symptoms for years. Symptoms tend to worsen the longer blood sugar levels remain high. Here are some of them:

• frequent urge to urinate
• excessive thirst
• intense and unusual hunger
• headache
• blurred vision
• weight loss
• fatigue
• irritability

Generally, a person with diabetes experiences hyperglycemia when their blood glucose level is higher than 130 mg/dl before eating or higher than 180 mg/dl 2 hours after starting to eat.

People with diabetes should self-monitor regularly to catch glucose levels before they reach the stage where they cause symptoms.

Causes of Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia usually occurs in people with prediabetes or diabetes. Causes of hyperglycemia in diabetics include:

• eat more than the body needs for its energy needs
• not getting enough physical activity
• experiencing stress in work, life, and relationships that can release hormones that keep glucose at high levels in the blood, some research has linked stress to high blood sugar.
• have an illness, such as the flu, that can cause stress that causes a spike in blood sugar
• skipping doses of diabetes medications, such as insulin

Hyperglycemia in people who have not been diagnosed with diabetes is known as nondiabetic hyperglycemia. This may occur in people who are critically ill or injured, when the body responds to extreme stress with hormonal changes that affect blood sugar levels.

In addition, nondiabetic hyperglycemia can occur in people with certain health conditions, such as pancreatic and hormonal disorders. It can also be a side effect of certain medications.

Dawn phenomenon

A common cause of hyperglycemia in diabetics is the dawn phenomenon.

This condition occurs in the morning when certain hormones, such as epinephrine, glucagon, and cortisol, cause the liver to release glucose into the blood.

This phenomenon usually occurs about 8 to 10 hours after a person with diabetes goes to bed.

However, not all cases of high blood sugar levels in the morning are the result of the dawn phenomenon. Hyperglycemia can also occur as a result of:

• eat a sweet or high-carb snack before bed
• taking the wrong dose of medicine
• not taking enough insulin

Waking up at night and testing blood sugar can be an effective way to determine whether these peaks are due to the dawn phenomenon or due to other causes.

Hyperglycemia with diabetes

Most people experience an increase in blood sugar levels after eating an unusually large meal that is high in carbohydrates. People who experience consistently hyperglycemia may have problems with low or inefficient use of insulin caused by diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that allows cells to use glucose to produce energy and function normally. When insulin is low or inefficient, diabetes can develop.

There are two types of diabetes: Type I diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not use insulin effectively. As a result, glucose remains in the blood and circulates in the body.

People who are overweight or obese and don’t get enough physical activity may have persistently high amounts of sugar in their blood.

This can reduce insulin efficiency by providing more glucose than it can process, leading to type 2 diabetes.

3 of 3 pages

–