What Are the Causes of Elevated Blood Glucose Levels?

The body processes glucose and turns it into energy, causing blood glucose levels to fluctuate throughout the day. Sometimes a person's glucose levels may remain elevated for an extended period. The causes may vary.

Glucose Levels

• Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) tests may be taken to measure blood glucose levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, healthy FPG levels fall below 100.

Causess

• In most cases, elevated glucose levels occur because of uncontrolled diabetes or pre-diabetes. Other conditions that may elevate glucose levels in the blood include illnesses, stress to the body caused by trauma or disease, consumption of too much food, and medications such as estrogen-based birth control pills, tricyclic antidepressants and diuretics.

Symptoms

• If your blood glucose levels are consistently high you'll develop symptoms such as increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue and unintentional weight loss.

Treatment

• If you're diabetic, make sure that you take your insulin or adjust the dosages if your meal plan has been adjusted. Drinking plenty of water and exercising can also lower blood sugar levels.

Warning

• Long-term untreated elevated glucose levels can lead to nerve and blood vessel damage. Damaged blood vessels, in turn, may increase the risk of heart disease, kidney damage and vision problems.