Preventing high blood sugar emergencies in children with diabetes
How can you prevent high blood sugar?
The best ways to prevent a high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) emergency are to check blood sugar levels often, be prepared for emergencies, treat high blood sugar promptly, treat infections right away, and make sure your child gets plenty of sugar-free liquids.
Treat infections early
Untreated infections, such as urinary tract infections and skin infections, can increase your child's risk of a high blood sugar emergency.
Be prepared
- Know the symptoms of high blood sugar. Post them in a place where you and your child can see them often, such as on your refrigerator door. Add any symptoms your child has had that are not on the list. Make sure other people know the symptoms and what to do in an emergency.
- Check your child's blood sugar at home often, especially when your child is sick or not following his or her normal routine. Testing your child's blood sugar at home will help you know when it is high, even if your child doesn't notice symptoms.
- Teach others involved in your child's care how to check blood sugar. Keep instructions for using the blood sugar meter with the meter so someone else could test your child's blood sugar if needed.
- Have your child wear medical identification, such as a medical alert bracelet
, at all times. This is very important in case your child is too sick or injured to speak. See the Where to Go From Here section to find where you can get medical identification.
- Have ketone test strips on hand. Test your child's urine for ketones if his or her blood sugar level is above 300 mg/dL. If the results of the ketone test show that your child has a moderate to large amount of ketones in his or her urine, call your doctor for advice.
- Develop a plan. Usually people who take insulin need to take extra fast-acting insulin when their blood sugar levels are high. Talk with your child's doctor about how much the child needs to take, depending on his or her blood sugar level (sliding scale).
- Give your child's medicines as prescribed. Don't skip the oral medicines for diabetes or insulin injections without first talking with your doctor.
Treat high blood sugar early
The best way to prevent high blood sugar emergencies is to treat high blood sugar as soon as your child has symptoms or when his or her blood sugar is significantly above the target range (200 mg/dL or higher).
- Follow the steps for dealing with high blood sugar. Post the steps in a convenient place at home. Make sure other people know what to do if your child is unable to treat high blood sugar.
- Keep a record. Write down your child's symptoms and how you treated them, and take the record with you when you visit your child's doctor. Use the high blood sugar record
(What is a PDF document?).
- Let your child's doctor know if your child is having high blood sugar problems. The oral medicine for diabetes may need to be adjusted or changed. If your child is taking insulin, the dose may need to be increased.
Offer plenty of liquids
If your child's blood sugar levels are above a target range, offer extra liquids to replace the fluids lost through the kidneys. Water and sugar-free drinks are best. Avoid caffeinated drinks, regular soda pop, fruit juice, and other liquids that contain a lot of sugar.
Test Your Knowledge
Answer the following question to see how well you understand how to prevent high blood sugar emergencies.
If my child has symptoms of mild high blood sugar, I should:
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| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: January 19, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Alan C. Dalkin, MD - Endocrinology | |
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