The Effects of High Glucose Levels

High glucose levels or high sugar levels occur when your body is unable to use the sugar in your bloodstream effectively. When you eat, food turns to sugar. In turn, your pancreas releases insulin to help the sugar move into the muscle cells for energy. When the insulin is not working properly or your body does not produce insulin, too much sugar or glucose stays in the blood, creating high glucose levels. The effects are numerous and complex because the sugar is traveling throughout your body affecting all the organ systems.

Neuropathy

• Neuropathy is nerve damage. People with high glucose levels will eventually have nerve damage because the high sugar damages nerve endings. Common symptoms are tingling in extremities such as feet and hands, indigestion, diarrhea, dizziness and blurry vision. These symptoms develop over time, and the patient may blame them on other factors.

Coronary Disease

• High glucose levels can break down blood vessel walls. Blockage can occur, causing heart attacks and strokes. Because high glucose levels can go undetected for years, patients may not be aware that their heart is in danger. Indigestion is one symptom that the patient may not connect to coronary disease.

Eyesight

• High glucose levels can lead to cataracts and glaucoma. The eyes need oxygen and nutrients more than most other parts of the body except for the brain. When blood circulation is affected, the capillaries in the eyes weaken and narrow. Blood leakage may occur and eventually, the patient may lose eyesight. The first signs of high glucose levels affecting eyesight are blurry vision and loss of peripheral vision.

Insulin Resistance

• If you do not stabilize high blood sugar levels with a proper diet, exercise and possibly medication, you can eventually become insulin resistant. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells resist the glucose. If the glucose cannot enter the cells, it stays in the bloodstream. The pancreas makes more insulin, but the body's cells continue to be unresponsive to the insulin.

Hyperglycemia

• Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar symptoms are hunger, blurred vision, confusion, nausea, thirst, tiredness and abdominal pain. Stress, illness, pain, too much food or not enough insulin can bring on hyperglycemia. To avoid high blood sugar, diabetics must test their blood sugar often, eat balanced meals, exercise and take their medication as prescribed.