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If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your kidneys. Your kidneys clean your blood. If they are damaged, waste and fluids build up in your blood instead of leaving your body.
Kidney damage from diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy. It begins long before you have symptoms. People with diabetes should get regular screenings for kidney disease. Tests include a urine test to detect protein in your urine and a blood test to show how well your kidneys are working.
If the damage continues, your kidneys could fail. In fact, diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. People with kidney failure need either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
You can slow down kidney damage or keep it from getting worse. Controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, taking your medicines and not eating too much protein can help.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can damage the covering on your nerves or the blood vessels that bring oxygen to your nerves. Damaged nerves may stop sending messages, or may send messages slowly or at the wrong times.
This damage is called diabetic neuropathy. Over half of people with diabetes get it. Symptoms may include:
Your doctor will diagnose diabetic neuropathy with a physical exam and nerve tests. Controlling your blood sugar can help prevent nerve problems, or keep them from getting worse. Treatment may include pain relief and other medicines.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
What is blood glucose?
Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is the main sugar found in your blood. It is your body's primary source of energy. It comes from the food you eat. Your body breaks down most of that food into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood glucose goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to be used for energy.
For people with diabetes, your body doesn't make enough insulin, can't use it as well as it should, or both. Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells.
What is hyperglycemia?Hyperglycemia means high blood glucose. It most often affects people who have diabetes. When you have diabetes, your body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it the right way. Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells.
What causes hyperglycemia?A key part of managing diabetes is controlling your blood glucose levels. To do this, you need to follow a diabetes meal plan and get regular physical activity. You might also need to take diabetes medicines. You have to balance all of these to keep your blood glucose at the right levels. But if you eat too much food or the wrong foods, don't take your medicines correctly, or don't get physical activity, you can get hyperglycemia. It can also happen if you are stressed or sick.
Less commonly, people who don't have diabetes can also get hyperglycemia. It can be caused by conditions that can affect insulin or glucose levels in your blood. They include problems with your pancreas or adrenal glands, certain medicines, and severe illnesses.
What are the symptoms of hyperglycemia?The symptoms of hyperglycemia include:
If you are diabetic and you often have high blood glucose levels or the symptoms of hyperglycemia, talk with your health care team. You may need a change in your diabetes meal plan, physical activity plan, or diabetes medicines.
If you don't have diabetes and you are having these symptoms, see your provider to find out the cause and how to treat it.
What other problems can hyperglycemia cause?If hyperglycemia is not treated, it can cause other problems. In people with diabetes, long-term hyperglycemia can lead to serious health problems (diabetes complications).
If your blood glucose levels get very high, you can develop diabetes-related ketoacidosis (DKA). It happens when your body doesn't have enough insulin to allow blood glucose into your cells for use as energy. Instead, your liver breaks down fat for fuel. This process produces acids called ketones. When too many ketones are produced too fast, they can build up to dangerous levels in your body. This can be life-threatening.
The symptoms of DKA may include:
If you have an an at-home test for ketones, check your ketone level every 4 to 6 hours when your blood glucose is very high or when you are having these symptoms. If the test shows that your ketones are moderate or high, or if you don't have a ketones test, contact your health care provider right away or get emergency medical help.
How is hyperglycemia diagnosed?If you have diabetes, you'll most likely need to check your blood glucose every day and make sure that it's not too high. You can do this with a blood glucose meter or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system.
There are also blood tests that providers can use to check if your blood glucose is too high.
What are the treatments for hyperglycemia?If you have diabetes and often have high blood glucose, your health care team may make changes to your diabetes meal plan, physical activity plan, and/or diabetes medicines.
If you have severe hyperglycemia and are having symptoms of DKA, you will need treatment at the hospital. The treatment often includes I.V. (intravenous) fluids and insulin.
Can hyperglycemia be prevented?If you have diabetes, managing your diabetes can help prevent hyperglycemia. To manage your diabetes, it's important to:
What is blood glucose?
Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is the main sugar found in your blood. It is your body's primary source of energy. It comes from the food you eat. Your body breaks down most of that food into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood glucose goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to be used for energy.
For people with diabetes, your body doesn't make enough insulin, can't use it as well as it should, or both. Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells.
What is hypoglycemia?Hypoglycemia means low glucose. It happens when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you:
Hypoglycemia is common in people who have diabetes type 1 or who have diabetes type 2 and take insulin or other diabetes medicines. It can happen:
Although it's rare, you can still get low blood glucose without having diabetes. The causes can include conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease, and hormone deficiencies (lack of certain hormones). It can also happen in people who have had certain types of weight loss surgery. Some medicines, such as certain heart medicines and antibiotics, can also cause it. See your health care provider to find out the cause of your low blood glucose and how to treat it.
What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?The symptoms of low blood glucose tend to come on quickly. The symptoms can be different for everyone, but they may include:
If you have diabetes, you'll most likely need to check your blood glucose every day and make sure that it's not too low. You can do this with a blood glucose meter or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system.
There are also blood tests that providers can use to check if your blood glucose is too low.
If you don't have diabetes and you have hypoglycemia, your provider will likely order other tests to try to figure out the cause.
What are the treatments for hypoglycemia?If you have mild or moderate hypoglycemia, eating or drinking something with carbohydrates can help. But severe hypoglycemia can cause serious complications, including passing out, coma, or even death. Severe hypoglycemia can be treated with glucagon, a hormone that raises blood glucose levels. It can be given as nasal spray or injection. If you have diabetes, your provider can prescribe you a glucagon kit for use in case of an emergency.
If you have diabetes and you often have mild or moderate low blood glucose, your health care team may make changes to your diabetes meal plan, physical activity plan, and/or diabetes medicines.
If you don't have diabetes and you keep having low blood glucose, the treatment will depend on what is causing it to happen.
Can hypoglycemia be prevented?If you have diabetes and you take insulin or other medicines that lower blood glucose, you can help prevent hypoglycemia if you:
What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes means that your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Too much glucose in your blood can damage your body over time.
If you have prediabetes, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But if you make some lifestyle changes now, you may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
What causes prediabetes?Prediabetes usually happens when your body has a problem with insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. A problem with insulin could be:
Researchers think that being overweight and not getting regular physical activity are major factors in causing prediabetes.
Who is at risk for prediabetes?About 1 out of every 3 adults has prediabetes. It is more common in people who:
Most people don't know they have prediabetes because usually there are no symptoms.
Some people with prediabetes may have darkened skin in the armpit or on the back and sides of the neck. They may also have many small skin growths in those same areas.
How is prediabetes diagnosed?There are a few different blood tests that can diagnose prediabetes. The most common ones are:
If you have prediabetes, you may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes:
In some cases, your health care provider may also recommend taking diabetes medicines.
Can prediabetes be prevented?If you are at risk for prediabetes, those same lifestyle changes (losing weight, regular physical activity, and a healthy eating plan) may prevent you from getting it.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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