Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar is a condition in which an excessive amount of glucose circulates in the blood of people with diabetes. Frequent or ongoing hyperglycemia can cause damage to your nerves, blood vessels, and organs, and result in serious complications such as blindness, foot gangrene, heart attack, kidney failure and stroke.
Your blood sugar level may rise if you:
- Skip or forget your insulin or oral glucose-lowering medicine
- Eat too many grams of carbohydrates for the amount of insulin you took, or eat too many carbs in general
- Have an infection
- Are ill
- Are under stress
- Become inactive or exercise less than usual
- Take part in strenuous physical activity, especially when your blood sugar levels are high and insulin levels are low