Hyperglycaemia
Hyperglycaemia is one of the problems that you will experience as a sufferer of diabetes, as it will happen at one point or another to everyone who has the condition.
Hyperglycaemia diabetes is when you have high levels of glucose in your blood, which occurs when the body does not have enough insulin (for example, if you have type 1 diabetes and you have not given yourself enough insulin), or when the body cannot use insulin in the right way (this is a typical trait of type 2 diabetes).
It is best to look out for signs hyperglycaemia if you find yourself eating more than you planned, you haven’t exercised as much as you usually do, if you get stressed over an illness like a cold or flu, or you are experiencing some kind of conflict in your life.
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Symptoms of hyperglycaemia include increased thirst and urination. Obviously high blood glucose is a symptom, as is high amounts of sugar in the urine.
As part of your diabetes management plan, you will be checking your blood glucose levels on a regular basis, which will help you identify when diabetes hyperglycaemia could become a problem for you, and more importantly know how to treat it.
If you ignore the signs hyperglycaemia, you run the risk of hyperglycaemia coma, which is life threatening and needs urgent treatment. This coma is known as ketoacidosis.
When your body does not have enough insulin, instead of using glucose for fuel, it will break down the fats in your body to use as fuel and this produces a waste product called ketones. Your body will try to get rid of these ketones through urination, but the body will still retain some of these ketones, which will build up in the blood. This is what leads to hyperglycaemia coma.
The symptoms of hyperglycaemia coma include shortness of breath, nausea, a dry mouth and a fruity smelling breath.
Ways to keep Hyperglycaemia diabetes in check is to exercise to lower your blood sugar levels, but this depends on whether you have ketones in your urine. If you do, then the doctor would advise not to exercise. You should also seek some advice on your diet, as this is also a way that diabetes can be controlled.
Lastly, you should talk to your doctor about your medication, as they might prescribe a higher amount of insulin, or suggest different times for actually taking it.
