Hyperglycaemia

Hyperglycaemia occurs when your blood glucose level is too high. This can develop over hours or even days. It is possible for your blood glucose level to be high and not be aware of it.

Signs 

• Feeling constantly thirsty 
• Passing large volumes of urine, frequently 
• Feeling tired 
• Blurred vision 
• Infections e.g. thrush 
• Weight loss

Common Causes 

• Illness 
• Infections 
• Stress 
• Too much carbohydrate 
• Not enough insulin or diabetes tablets 
• Other tablets or medicines e.g. steroids

Action
Type 1 diabetes: you will have discussed with your doctor or diabetes educator what the target range of blood glucose levels is for you and how to balance your insulin, eating plan and physical activity to achieve this. If unsure about adjusting your insulin doses, contact your doctor/educator.


Type 2 diabetes: you will have discussed with your doctor or diabetes educator what the target range of blood glucose levels is for you. There will be times when you will have a higher than expected level which then returns to your target range quickly, this is normal for people with diabetes. If your blood glucose levels continue above your target range then contact your doctor/educator.

Sick Day Rules

When you are ill, it is very likely that your blood glucose levels will go up and that you may need additional management of your diabetes whilst unwell.

General Pointers:

• Increase your blood glucose monitoring, you may need to monitor every two hours.
• If vomiting and unable to keep fluids down, seek medical assistance

Type 1 diabetes:

• While you are well, develop a plan of action for your sick days with your doctor or diabetes educator
• Test for ketones if you are ill or your blood glucose levels are >15mmol/L
• Have a sick day kit with in-date ketone strips and a thermometer
• Refer to your action plan when you are unwell

Type 2 diabetes:

• While you are well, develop a plan of action for your sick days with your doctor or diabetes educator
• Refer to your action plan when you are unwell

Key Words

Ketones: Is the by-product of burning body fat for energy. If there is not enough insulin to access glucose for energy, then the liver starts to burn body fat for energy. Insulin also controls the development of ketones and if there is not enough insulin ketones can build up and people can become very sick, very quickly.