Understanding High Blood Glucose: Causes, Symptoms & Implications

After you eat, your digestive system and stomach turns the food into glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar that your body uses for energy. High blood glucose levels typically mean too much sugar has built up in your bloodstream.

Significance

• In diabetics, high blood glucose levels indicate hyperglycemia.

Function

• You have a hormone called insulin, this acts as a key that lets glucose into your cells. When your cells no longer let the glucose in you become insulin resistant. Thus, you have to inject insulin into your body to regulate your glucose levels.

Causes

• Hyperglycemia is a serious health problem for diabetics. It can be caused by not taking insulin, infections, stress or illness. Other causes are eating too much food or too many carbohydrates.

Considerations

• According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test result of 125 mg/dL indicates hypoglycemia. After a meal, hyperglycemia can occur when blood sugar is greater than 180 mg/dL.

Symptoms

• If you have hyperglycemia, you may experience symptoms like unusual hunger, frequent thirst, weakness, blurred vision or unexplained weight loss.