KONTAN.CO.ID – You need to understand, low blood sugar and high blood sugar are two different medical conditions. Including, you must recognize the cause of both.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is a condition when fasting blood sugar levels are below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less.
While high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) refers to a condition when fasting blood sugar levels reach above 130 mg/dL.
Changes in blood sugar levels, whether they drop or spike, are important to watch out for because they can cause serious symptoms and complications.
This condition is common in people with diabetes, but it can also be caused by other factors and occurs in people without diabetes.
Launch Very Well HealthThe conditions that can cause low blood sugar and high blood sugar are quite different.
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Causes of high blood sugar
Hyperglycemia occurs when there is too much sugar in the blood.
This condition can occur, either when your body has too little insulin (a hormone that transports glucose into the blood) or if your body cannot use insulin properly as in the case of type 2 diabetes.
Causes of high blood sugar in people with diabetes include:
- Insufficient dose of insulin or oral diabetes medication taken
- The amount of carbohydrates consumed when eating or drinking is not balanced with the amount of insulin the body can make or the amount of insulin that is injected Less active than usual
- Physical stress due to illness, such as a cold, flu, or infection
- Psychological stress due to family conflict, emotional problems, or school or work
- Use of steroids to treat other conditions
- The phenomenon of dawn, which is a surge in hormones that the body produces every morning around 04.00-05.00 can affect
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Some other possible causes of hyperglycemia can include:
- Endocrine conditions, such as Cushing’s syndrome, that cause insulin resistance
- Diseases of the pancreas, such as pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), pancreatic cancer, and cystic fibrosis
- Side effects of certain medications, such as diuretics and steroids
- Gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy)
- Surgery or trauma
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Causes of low blood sugar
Hypoglycemia occurs when there is too much insulin in the body, resulting in low blood sugar levels.
This condition is common in people with type 1 diabetes and can occur in people with type 2 diabetes who take insulin or certain medications.
- For people without diabetes, hypoglycemia is reported to be rare. Causes of hypoglycemia in people without diabetes can include:
- Have prediabetes or are at risk for diabetes which can cause difficulty making the right amount of insulin
- Stomach surgery that can allow food to enter the small intestine too quickly
- Lack of a rare enzyme that makes it difficult for the body to break down food
- Side effects of medications, such as salicylates (such as aspirin), sulfa drugs (antibiotics), pentamidine (to treat serious types of pneumonia), or quinine (to treat malaria)
- Alcohol, especially excessive consumption
- Serious illness, such as one that affects the liver, heart, or kidneys
- Low levels of certain hormones, such as cortisol, growth hormone, glucagon, or epinephrine
- Tumors, such as tumors in the pancreas that make insulin or tumors that make a similar hormone called IGF-II
For people with diabetes, accidentally injecting the wrong type of insulin, too much insulin, or injecting it directly into a muscle (rather than just under the skin) can cause low blood sugar.
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Other causes of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes include:
- Be more active than usual
- Drink alcohol without eating
- Eating late or skipping meals
- Not balancing food by including fat, protein, and fiber
- Not eating enough carbohydrates
- Not timing insulin and carbohydrate intake properly (for example, waiting too long to eat after taking insulin to eat)
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “The Difference Between Low and High Blood Sugar: Symptoms, Causes, and How to Overcome”
Author: Irawan Sapto Adhi
Editor: Irawan Sapto Adhi
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