Let your care team know if you have glucose values that stay above your target range; values above 250 mg/dl for several tests or several days in a row; or a one-time value of above 300 mg/dl.

Causes:

Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) is caused by:

• 1

  too much food

• 2

  too little or decreased exercise

• 3

  stress

• 4

  illness

• 5

  injury

• 6

  infection or surgery

• 7

  certain medications (such as steroids) or

• 8

  too little diabetes medication

Complications:

It is unhealthy to have high glucose levels. In the short term you may feel tied and run down. In the long-term, high blood glucose may damage your eyes, heart, kidneys and legs, and increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Symptoms:

Symptoms may include:

• 1

  increased thirst

• 2

  increased urination (especially during the night)

• 3

  dry mouth or dry skin

• 4

  drowsiness

• 5

  fatigue

• 6

  blurred vision

• 7

  frequent infections

• 8

  cuts that heal slowly

• 9

  hunger

• 10

  unexplained weight loss

How to treat high blood glucose?

• Drink plenty of sugar-free fluids (water is best). If you have a fluid restriction, ask your health care team before drinking more fluids.
• Ask yourself about the possible cause and how to take action to prevent it from happening next time.
• Discuss options with your health care team. It is not always easy to figure out what causes glucose to be high. They can help you to identify patterns and lower your glucose values into a safe range.