Most doctors refer to hyperglycemia/high blood pressure as a silent condition that should not be ignored, and if not dealt with quickly, it can lead to diabetes.
If not treated, hyperglycemia can become severe and cause serious health problems that require emergency care, including a diabetic coma. Non severe hyperglycemia that people live with on a daily basis, can lead to health problems that affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.
For those who are not familiar with the symptoms, we’ve compiled a list of some of the symptoms to look out for if you suspect you might have hyperglycemia as per SteptoHealth:
Polydipsia – is an urgent and exaggerated need to drink water, one may also feel a dry mouth sensation. Doctors also advise for those who suffer from polydipsia to incorporate exercises into their daily routine.
Skin lesions – this is when your blood sugar levels are too high and may be visible on the skin. High blood sugar can cause the appearance of skin lesions, coffee-coloured marks on the legs, reddening of the face, and dry skin. You nail, palms, and the soles of your feet might also turn yellow.
Weakness and drowsiness – the fact that your cells aren’t able to properly absorb blood sugar means that energy levels will fall. Results of this shortfall can lead to, fainting, drowsiness, weakness, extreme tiredness.
Small veins and vessels in the retina, the macula, and the optic nerve can show signs of damage as a result of hyperglycaemia, blurred vision, dark spots in your field of vision, pain around the eyes, difficulty focusing on close objects or objects in your lateral or peripheral vision.
Sexual problem – damage to nerves and blood vessels caused by high blood sugar levels can result in changes to sexual functioning in both men and women. In men, high sugar levels can cause:
- Inability to achieve or maintain a firm enough erection in order to have sexual intercourse Retrograde ejaculation, a change whereby part, or all, of the semen flows through the bladder instead of through the end of the penis during ejaculation.
- In women, it can cause painful sexual intercourse. vaginal dryness and reduced to non- existent libido.
Also see: World Health Organization reinforces mental health issues at work
