Preventing High Blood Sugar Emergencies In Children With Diabetes: What Are High Blood Sugar Emergencies

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What are high blood sugar emergencies?

High blood sugar

High blood sugar means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your child's blood is above a normal or near-normal range. Your child may feel tired and thirsty when his or her blood sugar is well above a safe range. However, some people adjust to elevated levels of sugar in their blood and may not have obvious symptoms of high blood sugar until their blood sugar levels are very high.

• If your child's blood sugar level is between 80 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and 200 mg/dL, he or she most likely won't have symptoms. If symptoms are present, they will likely be mild, such as fatigue.
• With a blood sugar level between 200 mg/dL and 350 mg/dL, your child may have mild symptoms such as increased thirst and urinating more often than usual. Some people don't notice any symptoms when their blood sugar level is in this range.
• A blood sugar level above 350 mg/dL usually causes moderate to severe symptoms. Your child may feel weak and drowsy, have blurred vision, and lose his or her appetite. If blood sugar continues to rise, your child may become confused and go into a coma.

Symptoms of high blood sugar usually develop gradually over a period of hours to days. But it can also develop quickly (in just a few hours) if you eat a large meal or miss an insulin dose. Unless you and your child fail to notice the symptoms, you usually have time to get early treatment. An emergency occurs when high blood sugar levels lead to severe dehydration and interfere with the chemical processes of the body (metabolism).

What causes high blood sugar?

High blood sugar develops when there is too little insulin or when your child's body fails to respond properly to the insulin in the bloodstream. High blood sugar emergencies often develop because of an infection or surgery, which increase the need for insulin.

Blood sugar levels can rise above a target range when your child:

• Skips a dose of oral medicine for diabetes or a dose of insulin, if he or she takes insulin.
• Eats too much.
• Does not get enough physical activity.
• Is under emotional stress.
• Is sick, such as with the flu or an infection.

Your child sometimes may have very high blood sugar levels in the morning before breakfast. This may be due to the dawn phenomenon or the Somogyi effect.

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Last updated:	August 23, 2007
Author:	Merrill Hayden
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
Editors:	Marianne Flagg, Denele Ivins