High blood sugar is a common symptom of diabetes, but does high blood sugar mean that there must be diabetes? The answer to this question is not that simple. Let’s go into the relationship between blood sugar and diabetes.
High blood sugar means that the blood glucose content is beyond normal. Glucose, the main source of energy for the body, is usually regulated by the hormone of insulin to maintain it within a reasonable range. The increase in blood sugar levels may be due to a number of factors, such as eating habits, exercise, stress or health status.
Diabetes does depend on long-term increases in blood sugar concentrations. Diabetes diabetics are diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) under the following conditions: an empty abdominal sugar (FPG) ≥ 7.0 ml/l (126 mg/l);
Random blood sugar (at any time) 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/l) with diabetes symptoms; oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) 2 hours blood sugar 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/l). It is worth noting that a single blood sugar high cannot be diagnosed as diabetes and requires multiple measurements of blood sugar at different times or glucose tolerance tests.
Moreover, high blood sugar does not always mean diabetes. The following are some of the other reasons that may lead to an increase in blood sugar:
1. Dietary factor: A single ingestion of large quantities of high sugar or high carbohydrate food may result in a temporary rise in blood sugar.
2. Stress: Stress, such as acute infections, trauma or surgery, may lead to a temporary rise in blood sugar.
3. Drug factors: Certain drugs, such as cortical steroids, may lead to increased blood sugar.
4. Liver diseases: Some liver diseases may affect blood sugar regulation, leading to increased blood sugar.
5. Endocrine diseases, such as thyroid hyperactivity, chromosomal tumours, may affect blood sugar levels.
If blood sugar is found to be high, first of all, there is no need to be too nervous. What should be done is:
Repeated testing: multiple tests of blood sugar at different times to exclude the element of accident.
2. Doctors consulted: If the results of multiple tests indicate a high blood sugar, they should be consulted in a timely manner for further examination and diagnosis.
3. Lifestyle adjustment: A healthy lifestyle, be it diabetes or not, is key to controlling blood sugar. These include balanced diet, adequate exercise, good sleep and reduced stress.
In general, while the rise in blood sugar is not always equivalent to diabetes, continuing high blood sugar levels are indeed an important warning sign of diabetes. Once the blood sugar is found to be high, more in-depth examinations and professional consultations should be conducted as soon as possible, with a healthy lifestyle to control it.
Diabetes