What’s stress hyperglycemia?

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Stress hyperglycemia is a condition of high blood sugar that can occur during another, often unrelated illness. In many cases, it develops while a person is hospitalized or in intensive care for other conditions. Stress hyperglycemia is characterized by an increase in blood glucose levels and is sometimes referred to as stress diabetes.
Some treatments, such as those for asthma emergencies, create an increased risk of stress-related hyperglycemia. Other diseases create an imbalance in a person’s ability to process insulin or create an insulin hypersensitivity, resulting in stress-related hyperglycemia. This condition rarely needs direct treatment, as it very often goes away once the person is no longer ill. However, stress-induced hyperglycemia is sometimes a concern because it can signal a predisposition to or the onset of diabetes mellitus.

While stress-related hyperglycemia often occurs in people who have not had high blood sugar problems in the past, high blood sugar can quickly become dangerous. It can significantly increase the risk of kidney failure, heart attack, and other life-threatening problems. Although stress-related hyperglycemia usually resolves on its own, care must be taken to avoid these complications. The longer the patient is hospitalized and the more severe his condition, the higher the overall risks.

Illness stress is a major contributor to stress-induced hyperglycemia, but medications given to patients in hospital ICU settings may increase the risk. Careful blood glucose monitoring can reduce a patient’s risk of developing it, as can starting treatment immediately if it occurs. High blood sugar can become dangerous if left undetected for too long. Those with this condition and extensive disease may wish to seek treatment rather than waiting for the condition to correct itself.

The most common forms used for diagnosis are blood glucose tests and the glucometer test. A plasma test gives the most accurate results. Insulin therapy is a preferred course of treatment but can lead to other complications in some patients. Hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose levels, is a complication that can result from overly aggressive insulin therapy. Depending on the nature and severity of your illness, this can lead to further complications or even death.

Common safety precautions taken to prevent unnecessary complications are assessing patients’ glucose levels as early as possible when they are admitted to hospital or medical facilities and continuing to monitor them throughout their hospital stays. It is also helpful to know the person’s previous history, in terms of whether they have had stress-induced hyperglycemia in the past or have genetic factors that may increase their risk. Any patient who is seriously ill or recovering from serious surgery is usually monitored repeatedly for changes in glucose levels.

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