Sugar In Urine Meaning Causes Readings
Posted by Dr. Chris
The urine is composed of a number of different substances including nutrients, salts and wastes. It is the bodys way of expelling what it does not need and maintaining a state of balance known as homeostasis. When there is any disease or disorder in the body, it may at times be detectable through changes in the composition of urine. The presence of glucose is one such abnormality.
What If It Goes Untreated
Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if you dont treat it, so its important to treat as soon as you detect it. If you fail to treat hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when your body doesnt have enough insulin. Without insulin, your body cant use glucose for fuel, so your body breaks down fats to use for energy.
When your body breaks down fats, waste products called ketones are produced. Your body cannot tolerate large amounts of ketones and will try to get rid of them through the urine. Unfortunately, the body cannot release all the ketones and they build up in your blood, which can lead to ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is life-threatening and needs immediate treatment. Symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
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Difference Between Blood Glucose And Glucose In Urine
Blood glucose is regulated by insulin produced by the pancreas, though in patients with diabetes, the insulin is not produced or processed properly meaning they may need insulin injections to regulate their blood sugar. If left unmanaged, diabetes can cause blood glucose levels to rise and some may enter into the urine. Urine glucose may not always be due to diabetes, and can be a benign symptom that sometimes accompanies pregnancy.
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Glycosuria And Diabetes Mellitus
If you have type 2 diabetes, your bodys insulin doesnt work properly. In some cases, insulin cant transport blood sugar into your bodys cells effectively. This can cause blood sugar to be passed out in your urine instead.
In type 1 diabetes, your body doesnt make enough insulin to balance your blood sugar levels. Any excess blood sugar is passed out through your urine.
How To Prevent Glycosuria
Glycosuria is a condition in which excessive amounts of glucose are present in the urine. It can cause issues such as dehydration, fatigue, and frequent urination. Fortunately, by taking preventive measures, you can reduce your risk of developing this condition and its associated symptoms.
The most important step to preventing glycosuria is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables helps keep your blood sugar levels in check. You should also exercise regularly to help your body use glucose more efficiently. Additionally, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help keep your kidneys functioning properly so they can filter out any excess sugars from the bloodstream before they reach the urine.
Finally, its essential that you keep up with regular medical appointments for monitoring and preventive care.
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Avoiding High Blood Sugar And Dka
No matter how well they take care of themselves, people with diabetes will sometimes have high blood sugar levels. But the best way to avoid problems is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to your desired range as possible, which means following your diabetes management plan. Checking your blood sugar levels several times a day will let you know when your blood sugar level is high. Then you can treat it and help prevent DKA from happening.
High blood sugar levels don’t always cause symptoms, and a person who isn’t testing regularly might be having blood sugar levels high enough to damage the body without even realizing it. Doctors may use the HbA1c test to find out if someone has been having high blood sugar levels over time, even if the person has not had obvious symptoms.
Here are some other tips for avoiding high blood sugar levels and preventing DKA:
- Try to eat all your meals and snacks on time and not skip any.
- Take the right amount of insulin.
- Check your blood sugar levels regularly and your ketone levels when your diabetes management plan recommends it.
- Stick to your diabetes management plan.
How Do I Know If I Have Kidney Damage
Most people with early kidney damage do not have symptoms. The best way to find early kidney damage is to have a urine test once a year. This test checks for very small amounts of protein in the urine called albuminuria. It helps show kidney damage at an early stage in people with diabetes. Not everyone with kidney disease gets kidney failure. With the right treatment, you can prevent kidney disease from getting worse.
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Gestational Diabetes And Glycosuria
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens during pregnancy. Your body needs a lot of energy as your baby grows, but sometimes it canât keep up with demand and doesn’t make enough insulin.â
Without the insulin, you will have too high sugar levels, and it will show up in your urine. â
High blood sugar levels during pregnancy can cause problems for you and your baby:
- Your baby grows too big, and you need a C section
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar in your baby
- Risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes after your pregnancy is overâ
Your doctor might do in-office urine tests at your regular prenatal visits to check for glycosuria. You will have another test around the 24 to 28 week mark where you drink a glucose drink and have your blood taken. Your doctor might do the blood test earlier if your urine tests show high glycosuria.
You Develop Sores That Tend To Heal More Slowly Than Usual
Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and other wounds heal more slowly in the presence of uncontrolled blood sugar, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diabetes causes nerve damage and affects circulation, especially in the lower legs and feet, which can delay healing because there isnt enough blood flow to the area. Even minor wounds are more prone to infections, which can become very serious and even result in amputations of the foot. You may notice drainage seeping onto your socks or an unpleasant smell if you develop a foot ulcer, notes the American Podiatric Medical Association.
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What Can Cause A Spike In Urine Sugar
The most commonly observed causes for a spike in sugar level in urine are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes – In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not create enough insulin or the body becomes resistant to insulin. Due to this, the body is unable to control glucose levels in the blood. When the blood sugar rises, the kidneys cannot redirect back to the blood and the extra gets thrown out of the body through urine.
- Type 1 diabetes – Type 1 diabetes is a progressive destruction of particular cells in the body that result in decreased insulin production. Lower levels of insulin automatically mean higher levels of glucose in the blood and more glucose in urine.
- Kidney disease – Any issue with the kidneys, especially renal glycosuria, which is a genetic condition can cause a spike in glucose in urine. Renal glycosuria is a genetic or an acquired condition. When the kidneys are damaged, they cannot filter out the glucose from the blood and the glucose gets expelled from the body through urine.
Signs That Blood Sugar Levels Are High
People with high blood sugar may:
- pee a lot. When blood sugar levels get too high, the kidneys flush out the extra glucose into your urine , which is why people who have high blood sugar levels need to pee more often and in larger amounts.
- drink a lot. Because you’re losing so much fluid from peeing so much, you can get very thirsty.
- lose weight. If there isn’t enough insulin to help the body use glucose, the body starts to break down your muscle and fat for energy and you lose weight.
- feel tired. Because the body can’t use glucose for energy properly, you may feel really tired.
High blood sugar levels don’t always cause these symptoms. Sometimes you can have high blood sugar levels without even knowing it. But if left untreated, they can cause serious health problems. That’s why it’s important to work with your parents and diabetes team to keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. This can mean checking your blood sugar levels a few times a day, even when you feel fine.
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Can High Levels And Dka Be Prevented
These two problems don’t sound like much fun, so you’re probably wondering how to prevent them. The solution is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible, which means following your diabetes management plan. Checking your blood sugar levels several times a day will let you and your parents know when your blood sugar level is high. Then you can treat it and help prevent DKA from happening.
What else can you do? Wear a medical identification bracelet that says you have diabetes. Then, if you are not feeling well, whoever’s helping you even if the person doesn’t know you will know to call for medical help. And the doctors will be able to get you better more quickly if they know you have diabetes. These bracelets also can include your doctor’s phone number or a parent’s phone number. The quicker you get the help you need, the sooner you’ll be feeling better!
Do You Have Too Much Sugar In Urine 7 Possible Causes
Do you have sugar in your urine? This can be a sign of type 2 diabetes.By learning how it got there, you can do something about it before its too late.Learn 7 causes of sugar in the urine and what you as a man or a woman can do about it.
If you do a urine test and discover that it contains a lot of sugar, it can come as a bit of a shock. You had no symptoms of sugar in your urine. So you couldnt have known.Perhaps your doctor was unable to tell you immediately how it could have happened, and you got worried. High sugar levels in your urine can indicate diabetes, and that is not a pleasant prospect.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Protein In The Urine
When your kidneys have only mild damage and you have only small levels of protein in your urine, you will not notice any symptoms.
When your kidneys have more severe damage and you have high levels of protein in your urine, you may start to notice symptoms such as:
- Foamy, frothy or bubbly urine
- Swelling in your hands, feet, belly or face
- Urinating more often
How Can You Get Rid Of Sugar In Urine
Getting rid of sugar in your urine largely depends on the conditions underlying cause. Doctors may prescribe insulin and other medications to treat conditions like diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and following a nutritious diet can also help manage your conditions.
You should discuss any treatment options with your doctor.
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Types Of Renal Glycosuria
There are categories of glucosuria based on the rate of reabsorption by the kidneys, and renal threshold. There are 3 categories of benign glycosuria –
Youre Getting Yeast Infections More Often Than Usual
Hyperglycemia may lead you to get more frequent genital yeast infections. The culprit is often a type of yeast known as Candida albicans, per the ADA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in females the symptoms can include: vaginal itching, redness or soreness pain during sexual intercourse pain or discomfort during urination and thick, abnormal vaginal discharge. While yeast infections are common in people who dont have diabetes, having more glucose in your blood puts you at higher risk of getting them. The yeast feeds off the glucose, and if your blood sugar is high theres more glucose in the urinary tract, explains Bandukwala. Uncircumcised men with hyperglycemia are also at risk, he says.
Were also seeing this happen a little more now with patients who take SGLT-2 inhibitors, which force the body to expel more glucose through the urine, the endocrinologist adds. The FDA has added a warning to the prescribing information for SGLT-2 inhibitors about a far more rare and potentially fatal genital condition, known as necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, or Fourniers gangrene .
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How To Test For Glucose In Urine
A urine glucose test is carried out to test for glucose in urine. It is a simple, routine procedure carried out at all medical institutions like laboratories, hospitals, and private practices. The urine glucose test specifically looks for glucose in urine and is also called the urinary glucose dipstick test.
The process involves dipping a specialized plastic stick into your urine sample. The plastic stick or the dipstick has chemicals in it and changes color based on the presence or absence of glucose, and also on the amount of glucose present in case glucose is detected in the sample. Supposing the dipstick’s color change hints at a moderate or high amount of glucose, your doctor will suggest a further panel of tests to help him diagnose the condition.
What Is High Blood Sugar
The is the amount of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a sugar that comes from the foods we eat, and it’s also formed and stored inside the body. It’s the main source of energy for the cells of our body, and it’s carried to each cell through the bloodstream.
Hyperglycemia is the medical word for high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels happen when the body either can’t make insulin or can’t respond to insulin properly . The body needs insulin so glucose in the blood can enter the cells of the body where it can be used for energy. In people who have developed diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood, resulting in hyperglycemia.
Having too much sugar in the blood for long periods of time can cause serious health problems if it’s not treated. Hyperglycemia can damage the vessels that supply blood to vital organs, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, vision problems, and nerve problems. These problems don’t usually show up in kids or teens who have had the disease for only a few years. But they can happen in adulthood in some people with diabetes, particularly if they haven’t managed or controlled their diabetes well.
Blood sugar levels are considered high when they’re above your target range. Your diabetes health care team will let you know what your target blood sugar levels are.
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What Causes Sugar In Urine
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When To Go To The Er
High blood sugar can be very concerning because your body can start burning fat for energy instead of blood glucose.
This can cause conditions such as DKA and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome . These conditions are medical emergencies and can be fatal if left untreated.
DKA is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. Its rare in people with type 2 diabetes, but can occur.
Symptoms that can indicate you should go to the emergency room include:
- ketones in your urine, as diagnosed using a urine dipstick test
High blood sugar levels can cause a fluid imbalance in the body and can cause the blood to become acidic in a manner that doesnt support life.
Medical treatments for these conditions include administering intravenous insulin on a continuous basis and IV fluids to correct dehydration.
Summary
High blood sugar can become a medical emergency. Go to the ER if you suspect DKA or HHS.
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What Are The Symptoms Accompanying Sugar In Urine
Since sugar in urine or glycosuria presents as a symptom of underlying diseases and disorders, you are likely to see other symptoms alongside it. Some of these symptoms are the following:
- Tingling sensation in the hands and feet.
- Difficulty in breathing.
- Altered states of consciousness.
Be sure to visit your physician the moment you notice these symptoms or if you think there’s sugar in your urine.