Acute hyperglycemia is a serious condition that can cause immediate and long-lasting damage, often occurring in people with diabetes. Chronic hyperglycemia can also cause organ and tissue damage. Careful monitoring and treatment can help avoid or manage these conditions.
Acute hyperglycemia is a sudden and dramatic spike in blood sugar and is a serious condition that can cause immediate and long-lasting damage. It occurs more often in people whose blood sugar must be carefully managed with insulin injections and may require hospitalization if the glucose level cannot be normalized. The exact level at which high blood sugar is considered acute hyperglycemia varies, although it typically falls in the range of 144 to 270 mg/dL (8 to 15 mmol/L). Symptoms can include excessive hunger, thirst, and urination, as well as blurred vision and fatigue. Because these symptoms may not manifest until blood sugar reaches dangerous levels, diabetics often monitor their blood sugar very closely.
Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of both chronic and acute hyperglycemia. Chronic hyperglycemia is a condition in which blood sugar is consistently at a level considered above normal. This too can cause organ and tissue damage if left untreated. People whose chronic hyperglycemia is managed with insulin injections may develop acute hyperglycemia if they don’t get their insulin injections or for other reasons.
Serious conditions, such as osmotic diuresis, can occur with excessively high blood glucose levels. This related condition may result from glucose entering the kidneys and causing osmotic diuresis. This, in turn, causes polyuria, or excessive urination, and polydipsia, or excessive thirst. Thirst is caused by the body dehydrating due to lack of water, while the fact that the kidneys are emptying excess urine can result in the inability to rehydrate properly by simply drinking water.
Related conditions, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, may be associated with acute hyperglycemia. Ketoacidosis is actually caused by a lack of insulin in the blood, so someone with type I diabetes who has neglected to take their insulin supplements could be exhibiting both acute hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis. This serious condition has the potential to result in coma or death, and also typically causes confusion, shortness of breath, and vomiting. Other symptoms may include a distinctive sweet or fruity breath odor, which is the result of fatty acids being released from adipose tissues and subsequently being transformed into ketones.
Careful monitoring of blood glucose levels and administration of insulin or other prescribed treatments can help avoid acute hyperglycemia. In cases where it cannot be avoided, monitoring can allow foreknowledge of the condition before levels rise to the point where symptoms actually occur. This can allow you to seek help and stave off some of the serious complications of the condition.
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