Hyperglycemia occurs when there is an excessive amount of
glucose circulating in the
blood plasma.
Etymology hyper- in Greek meaning "too much";
-glyc- in Greek meaning "sweet";
-emia meaning "of blood".
It is the basic and most consistent finding in all types of
diabetes mellitus.
In fasting adults blood plasma glucose should not exceed 100 mg%. Sustained higher levels of blood sugar cause damage to the blood vessels and to the organs they supply, leading to the complications of diabetes.
The opposite of hyperglycemia is hypoglycemia.
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