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Hyperglycemia
Elevation of glucose levels in the
blood beyond the normal range; it is the chief diagnostic laboratory
symptom of diabetes mellitus (q.v.). Hyperglycemia results from
a breakdown in the body's regulation of its metabolism of carbohydrates,
and the condition is specifically due to a relative deficiency
of the hormone insulin. Since insulin
is important in the mechanism that removes glucose from the
bloodstream and increases the storage of sugar in the liver,
the relative lack of this hormone allows glucose circulating
in the blood to accumulate. Sustained hyperglycemia in persons
with diabetes causes the typical clinical symptoms of thirst
and blurred vision in such patients. Excessive circulating glucose
is directly toxic to the nervous system and causes numbness
and tingling.
Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved