What is the danger of blood sugar? Diabetes is a condition of the body that is characterized by an excessively high rate of glucose in the blood. It is one of the causes of diabetes and occurs as a result of insufficient pancreas function, when insulin ceases to be produced by the body and, as a result, glucose cannot be absorbed by cells. This refers to type 1 diabetes. The principle of the occurrence of type 2 diabetes is somewhat different. It is characterized by normal pancreatic function, but due to some reasons, the cells cease to absorb insulin, and receptors that perceive insulin are damaged.
Nowadays, we are abusing foods that are high in carbohydrates. This leads to constant fluctuations in blood glucose, which in the future leads to various types of diabetes and its complication. However, there are many reasons for the appearance of diabetes: these are autoimmune processes that occur after an illness, heredity, and obesity.
Type I diabetes and glucose metabolism
What is sugar dangerous? To begin with, we’ll look at glucose metabolism. When we eat something containing carbohydrates, then under the influence of certain enzymes contained in saliva and in the intestines, they are broken down into glucose and water. Glucose is absorbed by the intestines and enters the bloodstream, where with the help of insulin it spreads to all organs of the body. A short-term increase in blood sugar is a common occurrence. In a normal state in a person, glucose rises after he has eaten tightly, but then gradually decreases to normal values. If there is a systematic increase in blood glucose by large values, mainly due to the consumption of simple carbohydrates, then the load on the pancreas that produces insulin increases, and in the future this leads to the fact that it will not cope with its functions. There is insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia, so type 1 diabetes develops.
The reason for the development of diabetes, as already mentioned, may be an attack by the immunity of healthy pancreatic cells, which is why its work is disrupted. Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent in a different way, when the patient constantly needs hormonal injections.
Type II diabetes
Type 2 diabetes mellitus most often develops in old age due to general aging of the body. At this age, cholesterol plaques accumulate on the walls of blood vessels and there is a violation of intracellular metabolism. Especially there are big risks of diabetes in older obese people. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a sufficient amount of insulin in the blood, but it does not benefit the body in absorbing energy, because the cells have lost sensitivity to it. Type 2 diabetes is also called non-insulin dependent.
Insulin does not help. Causes
It also happens that diabetics after insulin injection do not notice a change in their blood glucose level, it also remains elevated. This is due to a number of reasons, which are listed below:
- wrong dosage of insulin;
- non-observance of diet and ignoring diet;
- non-compliance with the rules for storage of the drug;
- poorly delivered injection and non-compliance, lack of knowledge of the introduction technique;
- treatment of the injection site with an alcohol solution;
- quick removal of the needle immediately after completion of the injection.
There are certain rules for the administration of insulin, which should be explained to the patient by his doctor. You can’t, say, immediately remove the syringe after the injection is completed, this action leads to leakage of insulin. Also, treatment of the injection site with alcohol reduces the effectiveness of the drug. Keep ampoules with insulin in the refrigerator. Putting an injection every time in the same place is also not recommended, because over time, a skin tightening forms on this place, which interferes with the normal absorption of the drug. An increased dose of the drug is fraught with hypoglycemia.
Causes of Hyperglycemia
The causes of hyperglycemia include endocrine diseases, when the thyroid function is too active. This activity is called thyrotoxicosis.
Other causes include pituitary and hypothalamic diseases and tumors of these glands. In addition, inflammation of the liver and pancreas increases blood sugar.
It also increases the intake of caffeinated products and medicines containing female hormones: estrogen and glucocorticoids.
The more probable reasons for the increase in glucose levels are established. These include malfunctions in the functions of the pancreas, poor nutrition and specific human activities. Risk factors include people who daily include simple sugars in their diet and who have fast food, soda, which immediately causes hyperglycemia. If you go deeper and separate the reasons, you get the following list:
- stress
- avitaminosis;
- overweight;
- exceeding the permissible level of insulin during injection;
- jumps in body weight;
- age;
- heredity;
- taking hormonal drugs.
Stress has a specific effect. During stress, the human body switches to a state of catabolism when energy is released through the breakdown of glycogen and fat in the body. The state of catabolism is the opposite of anabolism, which means that the production of insulin stops. This is a normal condition, but with frequent stresses, when the body is in a state of catabolism for a long time, then the pancreas can malfunction, and its production of insulin will cease in the future.
As already mentioned, in some cases, hyperglycemia is a normal condition. For example, immediately after a person has eaten something, especially something sweet. It can also be observed in athletes during training or intense physical exertion. A number of diseases also cause short-term hyperglycemia - epilepsy, heart attack, angina pectoris.
Children who are allowed excessive and uncontrolled consumption of sweets will also have elevated sugar. Weak immunity, taking certain medications can trigger a state of hyperglycemia.
Diabetes is a hereditary disease. If you had diabetics in your family, then you need to monitor your health carefully.
The danger of high blood sugar
There really are reasons for excitement and urgent action. Why is increased sugar dangerous? High sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which lasts for a long time, generally have a destructive effect on the body. Cellular metabolism in organs and tissues is disturbed.
What is the danger of increased sugar for blood vessels and tissues? Vascular, peripheral nerves experience a fatal effect with elevated glucose levels. Ulcers appear on the legs, this can be aggravated by a person’s obesity and the specifics of his activity, when he has to stand on his feet for a long time. An infection can join the ulcers, and then gangrene begins. In the absence of timely amputation of the part of the body where gangrene began, it can spread to healthy tissue.
What is the danger of high sugar for the excretory system? An increase in blood glucose over time will lead to diabetic nephropathy, which can result in complete kidney failure. Then you have to put an artificial kidney (hemodialysis) or do a kidney transplant.
What is the danger of increased sugar for the organs of vision? With a high glucose level, vision also rapidly decreases, complete blindness can occur.
If you find a glucose level above 15 mol / l, it is worth thinking about and starting to take measures to lower it, otherwise it will turn into diabetes. High blood sugar will negatively affect organs: the kidneys, heart and, most importantly, the pancreas.
What is sugar dangerous? When it rises above the permissible level, the body continues to release energy, scooping it from the stores of fats. But during the oxidation of fats, ketone bodies containing acetone also enter the bloodstream, which is poison for the body, it circulates with the bloodstream and penetrates into organs and tissues, causing intoxication of the body. In addition, cases of fainting in a person are possible, as well as various disorders in the activity of the heart.
Is blood sugar dangerous? Yes, an increase in blood sugar is dangerous by the appearance of various types of coma. How dangerous is sugar? If the condition does not undergo remission, then a hyperglycemic or ketoacitodic coma will occur. The latter is characterized by an increase in the blood level of ketone bodies, which cause a state of coma, falling into the brain along with blood flow.
What is sugar dangerous for children? Children, as a rule, are immoderate in the consumption of sweets, and if they are not controlled, then in the future this can lead to the early development of diabetes. This is especially true for those children who are genetically predisposed to diabetes. Such children need constant monitoring and regular screening for blood glucose.
A hyperosmolar coma occurs, as a rule, when glucose exceeds the upper value of 50 mol / L. True, this phenomenon happens in rare cases. Its essence lies in the dehydration of the body, as a result of which there is a thickening of blood in the vessels, and therefore in the vessels of the brain. Blood clots appear that clog the vessels, and blood flow to a specific area stops. Coma occurs.
Lactacidemic coma rarely appears in humans, unlike hyperosmolar coma, and it again causes an even greater increase in blood glucose. Such a coma is caused by an excessive accumulation of lactic acid in the blood, which in itself is toxic and causes paresis of vessels and loss of consciousness.
Ketoacidosis
Ketoacidosis occurs on sugar levels of 10 mol / L. The reason for this is that cells stop receiving nutrients due to insulin deficiency in the blood. The body is trying to compensate for energy starvation by breaking down its available energy reserves in the form of fat and protein. But with the breakdown of fats, by-products are formed - ketone bodies containing acetone. Getting into the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body, they provoke intoxication of the body.
Symptoms
- lethargy;
- alternating frequent urination with anuria;
- acetone smell coming from the mouth and from sweat;
- nausea;
- increased irritability;
- the presence of drowsiness;
- headache.
Ketoacidosis is treated by injecting insulin and restoring fluid in the patient’s body, and treatment is also carried out by restoring the acid-base balance and replenishing trace elements.
What is dangerous blood sugar yet? Cancer cells also need active nutrition, as well as healthy ones. A dangerous sugar level leads to an increased release of insulin and IGF, which metabolize glucose. Therefore, if the body already contains cancer cells that are in the early stages of development, the presence of increased energy only stimulates them to grow. Dangerous blood sugar leads to serious consequences, which are then very difficult to cope with.
Optimal sugar level
Determining the level of sugar in the blood, we determine one of the indicators of our health. Blood for sampling is taken either from the finger or from a vein. Immediately before the procedure, it is forbidden to eat and there should not be excessive physical activity. For men and women, indicators of normal glucose levels are identical, but there are amendments regarding the place of blood sampling:
- from a finger - from 3.3 to 5.5 mol / liter;
- from Vienna - 4-6 mol / liter.
But if the values are exceeded slightly, then this does not always mean the presence of a deviation. As was said, if a person shortly before taking an analysis took food, then the indicators will shift slightly - up to 8 mol / l.
What blood sugar is dangerous?
When tested on an empty stomach, a value of 5.5 mol / L will also be considered normal, but above 6.5, this is a deviation. This will indicate a failure of the susceptibility to sugar cells. With these values, it is necessary to take initial measures to reduce it in order to exclude the appearance of diabetes in the future. Values above 6.5 mol / L will indicate diabetes that has already developed.
If you have children, then testing for sugar is best done with them, it will be good prevention and suppression of diabetes in the future. For children, the optimal blood glucose levels will be slightly lower than for adults. For example, in one-year-old children, the glucose level should be in the range of 2.2-4.4 mol / L.
Pregnancy
What is the danger of high sugar during pregnancy? During pregnancy, sugar shifts also occur. Glucose can fluctuate at a level of 3.8-5.8 mol / l, and this will be normal, because hyperglycemia occurs due to the fact that the child must be provided with adequate nutrition. During pregnancy in women, the upper norm indicator will be equal to 6 mol / l; higher will already indicate deviations.
Great difficulties arise already at the first stages of pregnancy. Women with diabetes have abnormalities in the functioning of the kidneys and heart, and these organs should work in an increased mode during pregnancy. So the condition of her baby directly depends on the woman’s health.
There is also a high probability of developing pyelonephritis, diseases of the renal pelvis and parenchyma. There is such a definition as diabetic fetopathy - this is the totality of all the deviations of the child. Diabetes affects the size of the future fetus and its weight, it will reach 4-4.5 kg, which will cause damage to the genitals of the mother.
Complications
What is sugar dangerous for other organs? Diabetes is accompanied by a huge number of concomitant diseases. These are diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, organs of vision, and kidneys. These include:
- polyneuropathy;
- angiopathy;
- retinopathy
- sores;
- gangrene
- high blood pressure;
- diabetic nephropathy;
- coma;
- arthropathy.
They are difficult to treat. It is aimed in most cases at maintaining the current state and preventing further complications. Very often, complications lead to the removal of limbs, loss of vision, heart attacks and strokes, even death.
Prevention
For healthy people who do not yet have significant jumps in blood sugar levels, it is necessary to carefully monitor their daily routine, diet and eliminate bad habits. It is necessary to give preference to complex carbohydrates in the diet in the form of cereals. With the already existing elevated values, it is necessary to correctly dose the drugs and conduct a regular examination of the body, including for the presence of complications. If you have any doubts about your health, the most important thing is to see a doctor in time. After all, it is in the early stages that you can cure almost any disease, without harm to your body.