Hyperglycaemia AKA High (High BGL)

When your blood glucose levels are 15 mmol/L or higher

Hyperglycaemia is when you have high blood sugar levels, this can be something that occurs quickly over hours or can build up over days.

You may feel symptoms such as thirsty, increased urination, tired, blurred vision, weight loss , infections (basically the same as the symptoms of going into DKA which is what can happen when you have high blood sugar levels for a period of time) . You also might not show any symptoms at all and only be aware when your monitoring device alerts you / you do a finger prick.

There are many things that can cause high blood sugar levels (just like many things can cause low blood sugar levels) , some things that can cause them are your typical, not enough basal insulin and/or ate too much carbohydrates (not enough bolus insulin). Other causes can be sickness (sometimes reported before showing signs of a sickness), infection (could be an obvious infection or something more hidden) , stress and medications.

It is important you test your blood sugar levels frequently as well as your ketone levels. Drink extra water or no sugar fluids. Contact your DE about increasing your insulin / commence your sick day management plan.

If you have high blood sugar levels that won’t come down, or you start to vomit, or you have moderate - large ketones present then please present to the hospital as it is a medical emergency for type 1 diabetes as can lead to DKA quickly if not already in DKA.