What’s hyperglycemia? Causes, Symptoms to know
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The term “hyperglycemia” is derived from the Greek hyper (high) + glykys (sweet/sugar) + haima (blood). It’s a situation where by there’s too more glucose (sugar) than normal in your blood.
Those with type I and type 2 diabetes often experience hyperglycemia but it also happens to those who are free of diabetes (non-diabetic persons).
If not taken care of it can lead to type 1 diabetes in a non-diabetic person and can cause more severe health problems in a diabetic person. (13, 14)
You may be ignorant that you’re experiencing hyperglycemia and that’s why I wrote this article to help you understand what it’s all about and how you can control it from affecting your health.
Feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.
What’s Hyperglycemia?
The term “hyperglycemia” is derived from the Greek hyper (high) + glykys (sweet/sugar) + haima (blood). That’s why it’s referred to as high blood sugar. (1)
In simple terms, hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) means when there’s too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is a type of sugar produced from the breaking down of every carbohydrate food you eat.
The glucose is stored and used by the liver as your body’s main source of energy. During absorption and circulation, some of the released glucose is used by your brain, kidney, and red blood cells to provide your body energy.
The remaining is then converted to Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) (cellular energy) which is used as energy by most cells in the body. See the amount of glucose in your bloodstream is regulated by insulin, a hormone produce by the pancreas. (2)
After eating your insulin will shut down the release of glucose from the liver to ensure levels don’t get too high.
If any of this body engine is impaired it can affect the pancreatic function and make it release glucose inappropriately thereby causing high blood sugar. (5)
However, in a non-diabetic person, hyperglycemia may occur due to the type of diet taken, lack of physical activities, medication side effects, weather conditions (cold), infection, or as a prelude to diabetes (prediabetes- called impaired glucose tolerance).
It’s important you pay attention to the way your body system responds to anything that enters your body. As a non-diabetic person, I do experience hyperglycemia sometimes so I am writing from experience.
How do you detect hyperglycemia with a blood sugar test?
According to World Health Organization, the “normal” blood sugar level should range between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or (3.9 mmol/L) and (5.6 mmol/L), while fasting, or not eating. (3)
In a non-diabetic person; you’re experiencing impaired fasting hyperglycemia if your blood sugar is readings between 100 and 125 mg/dL on the fasting blood sugar test.
If you (non-diabetic) perform two or more blood sugar tests in a fasting state and it reads at or above 126 mg/dL you may have diabetes.
You have hyperglycemia if your blood glucose is greater than 170 mg/dL one to two hours after eating.
High blood sugar after eating is called postprandial, or after-meal hyperglycemia.
In a diabetic person: the normal blood sugar level ranges between 80 and 125 mg/dL (4.4 and 7.2 mmol/L) at fasting state for people age 59 and younger who have no medical conditions other than diabetes.
Less than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L) two hours after meals.
Between 100 and 145 mg/dL (5.6 and 7.8 mmol/L) for people age 60 and older and those who have other medical conditions, such as heart, lung, or kidney disease. (4)
You (a diabetic) may have hyperglycemia when your blood sugar level is greater than 130 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) in fasting (not eating for at least eight hours before performing a fasting blood sugar test). And above 180 to 240 mg/dL (13.3 mmol/L) one to hours after eating. (5, 15)
If you use an over-the-counter urine ketones test kit and the urine test is positive, your body may have started making the changes that can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (accumulation of toxic acidic compounds in the blood and urine). (16, 17)
Causes
What are the common causes of hyperglycemia?
There are twelve common causes of hyperglycemia in non-diabetic persons. Three occur due to certain lifestyles and nine happen due to genetic disorders and other health complications.
Lifestyle-related causes include:
1. Type of Diet
Diet plays a significant role in the development of high blood sugar.
Excess consumption of sugar- and carbohydrate-containing foods raise blood sugar levels after eating as the food is broken down into glucose molecules that enter the bloodstream. (6, 7, 8)
In a healthy person, the presence of more glucose molecules in the blood signals the pancreas to release insulin, which helps uptake glucose from the blood and transports it to the muscles and liver to be used for energy and storage.
As blood sugar decreases, the signals to the pancreas to release more insulin stop, and blood sugar levels should return to a stable baseline.
When levels of blood sugar continually become elevated with repeat and excessive sugar and carbohydrate consumption, the excess glucose in the bloodstream stimulates the pancreas to release a lot of insulin. (9)
Over time, the body may stop responding to insulin due to chronic high blood sugar, causing insulin resistance and keeping blood sugar high.
2. Alcohol
Excess alcohol consumption can also affect your blood sugar by interfering with your liver’s ability to regulate the production and release of glucose and negatively impact your body’s response to insulin. (10, 11, 12)
3. Lack of Physical Activity
Lack of physical activity can increase your blood sugar, as skeletal muscles are the main part of the body that uses glucose for energy or stores extra glucose for later use.
With low levels of physical activity, the muscles become inactive and do not remove glucose efficiently from the blood. (18, 19)
Genetic disorders and other health complications related to Causes include:
1. Cushing’s Syndrome
Cushing’s syndrome is a disorder caused by the excess secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) produced by the pituitary gland.
This, in turn, causes the adrenal glands to produce excessive amounts of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone.
When too much cortisol is released, it can counteract the effects of insulin and lead to insulin resistance. It can also decrease the amount of insulin released by the pancreas.
Pituitary adenomas, a typically benign tumor affecting the pituitary gland, are the cause of Cushing’s syndrome in more than 70% of cases. Prolonged use of steroid drugs like prednisone can also significantly increase the risk. (20, 21 )
Approximately 10% to 30% of people with Cushing’s syndrome will develop impaired glucose tolerance, while 40% to 45% will develop diabetes.
2. Pancreatic Diseases
Pancreatic diseases such as pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and cystic fibrosis can cause hyperglycemia because pancreas cells are damaged in these conditions. Insulin is produced and released from the cells of the pancreas.
With inflammation and damage to the pancreas, pancreatic cells are no longer able to produce enough insulin to remove glucose from the blood to control blood sugar. (23, 22)
3. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that causes irregular, often heavy menstrual periods. It is a common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age.
Women with PCOS have hormonal imbalances, such as increased levels of androgens such as testosterone, and a large number of ovarian cysts (more than 10) that cause anovulation, infertility, and irregular menstrual cycle.
She also has hormonal imbalances like insulin, and inflammatory proteins called cytokines released from fat tissue.
Despite increased levels of insulin, women with PCOS exhibit insulin resistance since their insulin hormones cannot adequately uptake glucose or utilize it for energy. (24, 25, 26)
Insulin receptors in women with PCOS cannot efficiently bind to insulin. Because insulin transports glucose, excess glucose remains in the bloodstream, producing hyperglycemia.
4. Trauma
Physical stress to the body, including trauma, burns, and other injuries, can cause high blood sugar by altering the way glucose is metabolized.
Stress-induced hyperglycemia occurs when the body’s fight-or-flight response triggers the release of cortisol and another stress hormone known as epinephrine (adrenaline).
Epinephrine increases the production of glucose, while glucose blocks the effects of insulin. (27,28, 29)
Physical stresses also cause the body to release inflammatory proteins known as cytokines that counteract insulin and lead to insulin resistance.
5. Surgery Stress
Alterations to glucose metabolism that occur from physical stress to the body also occur after surgery.
Surgery is a controlled form of stress to the body that results in similar increases in cytokines and hormones that drive the production of glucose in the liver and block the effects of insulin from removing excess glucose from the blood.
Up to 30% of patients can develop stress-induced hyperglycemia after surgery, with blood glucose levels that stay elevated long after returning home from the hospital. (30, 31)
Elevated blood sugar after surgery can have significant effects on overall health and increases the risk of developing diabetes and other serious conditions.
6. Infections
Stress-induced hyperglycemia can also result from the physical stress of having an infection, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, or other infections.
Increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol that occurs with infections block the ability of insulin to remove excess glucose from the bloodstream, keeping the body in a state of high blood sugar.
High blood glucose also results from infections as a normal reaction in order to support the needs of organs like the brain, kidneys, and red blood cells that depend on glucose for energy to aid in the immune system’s response to fight off an infection. (32, 35)
The virus can directly or indirectly damage the pancreatic islets and cause stress hyperglycemia by causing cytokine storms, acute inflammatory reactions, binding to the ACE2 receptor, etc.
At the same time, hyperglycemia is a risk factor for severe infection and an independent risk factor for mild to severe disease.
7. Medication Side Effects
Certain medications such as catecholamine vasopressors like dopamine and norepinephrine, immune suppressants like tacrolimus and cyclosporine, and corticosteroids can increase blood glucose levels by activating enzymes that increase blood glucose levels and disrupting the release and activity of insulin to uptake glucose from the blood.
Hospitalized patients receiving nutrition through an intravenous (IV) may also be at an increased risk of developing hyperglycemia, as the nutritional fluid contains a sugar solution to help restore electrolyte balance. (33)
The concentration of this fluid should be carefully monitored in patients who are ill or recovering from surgery or injury in order to prevent further spikes in blood sugar.
8. Obesity
High blood sugar is associated with obesity since excess fat cells disrupt the balance of glucose and insulin.
Excess fat cells called adipocytes release inflammatory proteins, such as interleukins and tumor necrosis factor, which increase the body’s resistance to insulin by activating processes that disrupt the body’s ability to produce and release insulin when blood sugar is high.
Excess fat cells also decrease the ability to remove glucose from the blood to be used for energy or stored as glycogen within skeletal muscles. With obesity, increased lipids, or fatty acid molecules, activate pathways that impair insulin signaling within muscles. (34),
9. Genetics
A family history of diabetes can increase your risk of developing hyperglycemia.
Though diabetes can be prevented through diet and lifestyle factors, impaired insulin sensitivity can run in families and may make you more prone to developing high blood sugar.
Pregnant women can also develop gestational diabetes, often between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, due to hormonal changes that affect the way that glucose is metabolized in the body. (1, 35)
The influence of pregnancy hormones can interfere with the ability of insulin to remove excess glucose from the blood, causing blood sugar to stay elevated.
I hope you’re getting value.
Signs and Symptoms
How do you know you have hyperglycemia?
The sign and symptoms of hyperglycemia you may experience depends on the severity of the case or health condition.
In a diabetic person;
Symptoms of hyperglycemia develop slowly over several days or weeks. The longer blood sugar levels stay high, the more serious symptoms may become. But some people who’ve had type 2 diabetes for a long time may not show any symptoms despite high blood sugar levels.
Early signs and symptoms include;
- Headaches
- Frequent urination (peeing)
- Blurred vision
- Rapid heartbeats
- Tingling, burning, or numbness in your hands or feet
- Frequent infections or slow-healing sores
- Unintended weight loss.
- Frequent infections or slow-healing sores
- Unintended weight loss.
Later signs and symptoms include:
- Fruity-smelling breath
- Dry mouth
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shortness of breath
- Confusion
- Loss of consciousness
If hyperglycemia isn’t treated, it can cause toxic acids, called ketones, to build up in the blood and urine. This condition is called ketoacidosis.
However, if you don’t have diabetes or a history of diabetes or other health complications, the sign and symptoms of hyperglycemia you may mostly experience include;
- Frequent urination
- Excess thirsty
- Increase hunger
- Heartburn
- Excess release of gas from the mouth.
If you normally engage in physical activities during the day you may experience the above-mentioned mostly the night but if you normally work indoors/under Ac during the day it may occur both day and night especially when you’re eating a main carbohydrate diet.
How to Control/Prevent Hyperglycemia
1. Managing a healthy and balanced diet with proteins, fats, and fiber-rich foods while limiting sugar and processed and refined carbohydrates can help control blood sugar levels.
2. Regular exercise can help lower blood sugar levels by increasing the need for muscles to remove glucose from the blood to use for energy.
3. Limit your alcohol intake
If you’re already diabetic, you can control or prevent hyperglycemia by doing the following;
1. Follow your diabetes meal plan.
If you take insulin or oral diabetes medication, be consistent about the amount and timing of your meals and snacks. The food you eat must be in balance with the insulin working in your body.
2. Monitor your blood sugar.
Depending on your treatment plan, you may check and record your blood sugar level several times a week or several times a day.
Careful monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar level stays within your target range. Note when your glucose readings are above or below your target range. (38, 39,40, 41)
3. Carefully follow your healthcare provider’s directions for how to take your medication.
Adjust your medication if you change your physical activity. The adjustment depends on blood sugar test results and on the type and length of the activity. If you have questions about this, talk to your healthcare provider.
Risk and Health Complications
Long-term complications
Keeping blood sugar in a healthy range can help prevent many diabetes-related complications. Long-term complications of hyperglycemia that aren’t treated include:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) or kidney failure
- Damage to the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy) could lead to blindness.
- Feet problems caused by damaged nerves or poor blood flow can lead to serious skin infections, ulcerations, and, in some severe cases, amputation
- Bone and joint problems
- Teeth and gum infections.
Emergency complications
If blood sugar rises very high or if high blood sugar levels are not treated, it can lead to two serious conditions.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
This condition develops when you don’t have enough insulin in your body. When this happens, glucose can’t enter your cells for energy. Your blood sugar level rises, and your body begins to break down fat for energy.
When fat is broken down for energy in the body, it produces toxic acids called ketones. Ketones accumulate in the blood and eventually spill into the urine. If it isn’t treated, diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to a diabetic coma that can be life-threatening.
- Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state.
This condition occurs when the body makes insulin, but the insulin doesn’t work properly.
Blood glucose levels may become very high — greater than 600 mg/dL (33.3 mmol/L) without ketoacidosis. If you develop this condition, your body can’t use either glucose or fat for energy. (42, 43)
Glucose then goes into the urine, causing increased urination. If it isn’t treated, the diabetic hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state can lead to life-threatening dehydration and coma. It’s very important to get medical care for it right away.
The question you may have in mind
Can dehydration cause high blood sugar?
Ideally, dehydration can lead to a transient increase in blood sugar. Less water in your body means that sugar in your blood is more concentrated. (45)
Do I feel different if my blood sugar is high?
Well, some individuals with hyperglycemia may have few symptoms or may not realize that symptoms like sudden fatigue are caused by high blood sugar.
When blood sugar levels are excessive, an individual may feel anxiety due to rapid heartbeats and have trouble concentrating. (44) Though the signs and symptoms you may experience depend on whether you’re diabetic or not.
Conclusion
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) means when there’s too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is a type of sugar produced from the breaking down of every carbohydrate food you eat.
As a diabetic or nondiabetic person, you can determine when you have hyperglycemia with a blood sugar test simply by following the normal range of blood sugar which is between 80 to125mg/dl and 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) on fasting, or not eating (8 hours after eating) respectively.
And between 160 to 180gm/dl one to two hours after a meal. Anything above this range is a sign of hyperglycemia.
The common causes of hyperglycemia include diet, alcohol, lack of physical activities, Cushing’s syndrome, pancreatic diseases, polycystic ovarian syndrome, medication, side effects, obesity, and genetics.
The signs and symptoms depend on whether you’re diabetic or not. Hyperglycemia can be controlled and prevented if you follow the preventive measures I gave in this article.
If you leave hyperglycemia uncontrolled, over time it can lead to severe health complications.
I hope you get the value worth your time. I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment if you like this post. Have you ever experienced the signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia before? Do you have any questions as regards hypoglycemia I didn’t answer here? Feel free to share with me in the comment below.
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