Hyperglycemia facts for kids

High blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, happens when there's too much sugar (called glucose) in your blood. If your blood sugar level is 200 mg/dl or higher, it's considered high. This can be a serious health problem if it's not treated quickly.

Normally, your body uses a special helper called insulin to move sugar from your blood into your cells. Your cells then use this sugar for energy. But if your body doesn't make enough insulin, or if it doesn't use insulin properly (this is called insulin resistance), too much sugar builds up in your blood. This can lead to serious health issues.

Very high blood sugar levels often mean a person has diabetes mellitus. High blood sugar that comes and goes might also mean diabetes is developing. It can also happen when insulin levels are low or when the body resists insulin.

What Are the Signs of High Blood Sugar?

Early Signs to Watch For

Three common early signs of high blood sugar are often called "the 3 polys":

• Polydipsia: Feeling very thirsty.
• Polyphagia: Feeling very hungry.
• Polyuria: Urinating a lot.

These things happen because:

• Your body senses that your cells aren't getting enough sugar. It makes you feel hungry, hoping you'll eat to get more sugar. This causes polyphagia.
• Your body tries to get rid of the extra sugar in your blood by making you urinate it out. This causes polyuria.
• Because you are urinating so much, you can get dehydrated easily. This makes you feel very thirsty (polydipsia).

Other early signs of high blood sugar can include blurry vision, headaches, and feeling very tired.

When High Blood Sugar Gets Serious

If high blood sugar gets worse and isn't treated, your body might start making toxic acids called ketones. These can build up in your blood and urine. This serious condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and it's a medical emergency.

Signs of DKA can include:

• Feeling confused, having seizures, or even falling into a coma.
• Trouble breathing, and your breath might smell fruity (like nail polish remover). This "ketone breath" happens as your body tries to get rid of the ketones.
• Feeling weak.
• Feeling sick to your stomach, throwing up, and having belly pain.

See also

In Spanish: Hiperglucemia para niños