If You Are Asking "What is High Blood Sugar?" Then You Need Reliable Information Now
By Jerrold Tanner

What is high blood sugar? Also known as Hyperglycemia, a condition where an elevated amount of sugar or glucose can be found in the blood. It is a very serious condition, especially for those with diabetes or are at the early stages of diabetes. The sugar coming from the food that a person consumes is either used by or stored in the body. Some disorders, however, may cause a person to have a problem in the storage and conversion or processing of blood sugar-this results in hypoglycemia (low sugar) or hyperglycemia (high sugar).

For sugar levels to be considered high, they should exceed the normal glucose levels in the blood, which ranges from 60-110 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), although the numbers may vary among medical practitioners. For adults, blood sugar levels must not surpass 126 mg/dL as it may result into damage of certain body organs and blood vessels, which may later lead to diabetes complications. The levels of sugar in the bloodstream can be conveniently and efficiently measured by a blood glucose meter (more commonly known as the glucometer). Simply put a small drop of blood (obtained by pricking a finger or the forearm) on a test strip, which will then be read by the glucometer. The blood sugar level will then be digitally displayed on the meter within seconds.

If you are searching for information to answer the question, "What is high blood sugar?," be sure that you only believe reliable sources, as the wrong information may prove fatal. Remember that it is a serious health condition. Its symptoms include polyphagia or frequent hunger accompanied by polydipsia or frequent thirst, and polyuria or frequent urination. These three almost always go together and therefore are called the hyperglycemic triad. Other symptoms may include blurred vision, weight loss, fatigue, slow or poor healing of wounds, dry mouth and skin, hyperventilation (rapid and deep breathing), cardiac arrhythmia, stupor, coma, recurring vaginal or groin infections, ear infections, and impotence in males.

What exactly causes high blood sugar? High glucose levels may be caused by a case of diabetes mellitus, by medications, by a critical illness, or by physiological stress. Diabetes is the most common cause of hyperglycemia. Persistent chronic hyperglycemia is actually a symptom of diabetes. High blood sugar in the case of those with diabetes is generally caused by low levels of insulin or cellular resistance (preventing the body from turning glucose to glycogen or the body's energy source) to the hormone, which is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. When this internal system fails, high blood sugar levels result.

Certain drugs or medications can also put the human body at risk for hyperglycemia. Medications such as beta blockers, diuretics, thiazide, corticosteroids, pentamidine, niacin, L-asparaginase, protease inhibitors and antipsychotic agents are some of the common causes of hyperglycemia. Stress-induced hyperglycemia due to critical illnesses such as stroke may also develop and induces a high-risk of mortality due to the condition. Physiological stresses such as inflammation and infection may also cause hyperglycemia. Such stresses produce catecholamines which are critical blood glucose level raisers. Physiological stress-induced hyperglycemia however, does not necessarily point or lead to diabetes mellitus, unless further examinations and testings are performed.

Persistent high blood sugar levels may cause complications such as kidney damage, cardiovascular damage, neurological damage, and loss of vision if not detected and treated over a long period. Chronic hyperglycemia treatments especially for diabetes mellitus targets to maintain sugar levels close to, if not normal, so as to prohibit these long-term effects. Treatment of this disease involves primarily the elimination of its chief cause (diabetes, physiological stress, chronic illness, elimination of drug (that cause high blood sugar levels) administration, etc.). In most severe and acute cases, hyperglycemia is treated by directly injecting insulin through the bloodstream, provided there is proper medical supervision.

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