Function

• Carbohydrates, fruits and other foods in your normal diet supply your body with the sugar it needs. The sugar enters your bloodstream and becomes blood glucose, also known as blood sugar. Your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which bonds with the blood glucose. It enables your body to use the sugar as fuel and store any excess fuel as fat.
  
  The pancreas constantly monitors the amount of glucose in the bloodstream and manufactures enough insulin to accommodate it. If it does not produce enough insulin or the insulin does not bond with the blood glucose, a condition called hyperglycemia sets in.
  
  Normal blood glucose levels are 70 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl (milligrams of blood glucose to deciliters of blood). It is common to see the levels escalate for a short period, especially after eating or exercising. But prolonged and sustained blood glucose levels that are higher than normal can have devastating long- and short-term effects on your body.
  
  

Causes

• There are many causes of hyperglycemia in children. The most common are Type I diabetes and insulin resistance.
  
  In Type I diabetes, the pancreas shuts down some or all of its insulin supply. Without enough insulin, excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream.
  
  The onset of insulin resistance can be caused by many factors including obesity, chronic disease or severe illness. There are also some genetic risk factors. Insulin resistance hinders the bonding of insulin with blood glucose. Insulin resistance can eventually cause Type II diabetes, a disease normally found in adults.
  
  According to the United States Surgeon General, obesity in children is on the rise in the United States and is a big risk factor for Type II diabetes caused by insulin resistance.
  
  

Symptoms

• Children suffering from hyperglycemia will experience increased thirst and urination. You may see them wet the bed frequently during the night. Their skin may appear dry and any scrapes or cuts that they have will heal slowly.
  
  They are more hungry than usual, but they will continue to lose weight. They may also appear very tired and experience blurred vision.
  
  

Treatment

• Hyperglycemia caused by Type I diabetes in children is not curable. It is treatable through a strict regimen of diet, exercise and injections of insulin.
  
  Insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes caused by obesity is curable through weight loss. Its treatment is similar to Type I diabetes, except these children will take oral medication rather than insulin.
  
  It is important that children suffering from hyperglycemia are followed by a licensed endocronologist as well as their pediatrician.
  
  

Complications

• If not managed properly, hyperglycemia can cause serious health problems, particularly with the heart, eyes, kidneys and circulation.
  
  Prolonged or persistent hyperglycemia, no matter what the underlying cause is, can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated. Since the body is not getting enough fuel from the blood glucose, it will start to shut down lower-priority body functions to conserve energy. Then it will use up any stores of fat to compensate for the lack of fuel. Your body does not process fat efficiently, so poisonous chemicals called ketones build up. When the level of ketones gets too high, it can cause coma or death.