What do I need to tell patients about hyperglycemia?

Patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes can benefit from advice about how to respond to episodes of hyperglycemia.

• Patients should be encouraged to drink sugar-free liquids when hyperglycemic to prevent dehydration and help lower blood glucose levels.
• If your patient has a high blood glucose reading that is unexpected/unexplained, recommend rechecking the blood glucose after handwashing to make sure no residual sugary substances have led to a spurious reading.
• Encourage your patients to try to determine what causes episodes of hyperglycemia: Did they eat more carbohydrates then normal? Have they been less active? Did they forget their medicine? Is their insulin old (and potentially less potent)?
• Finally, encourage patients to keep track of their high blood glucose levels and bring the records to their appointments.