Synonyms
English: blood sugar
- Blood sugar level
- Blood sugar value
- Blood Glucose
- Plasma glucose
Definition
The term blood sugar refers to the concentration of the sugar glucose in the blood plasma. This value is given in the units mmol/l or mg/dl. Glucose plays one of the most important roles in the human energy supply, both as a direct supplier of energy and as a basic material for energy storage in the form of fats or glycogen.
In order to ensure a continuous energy supply to the body, blood sugar must be kept at a reasonably constant level in the blood, which should be between 60 and 100 mg/dl (corresponding to 3.3 and 5.6 mmol/l) when fasting. Blood sugar levels above this level are called hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar), and blood sugar levels below this level are called hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). In particular, the brain and red blood cells are dependent on a sufficient blood sugar concentration, as they cannot cover their energy requirements, or can only cover them to a small extent, through other energy suppliers (e.g. through fat reduction).
Regulation
Two hormones are of particular importance in the organism for the adjustment of the blood sugar level: As the main actors in a complex mechanism, they regulate the concentration of blood sugar. If glucose, which is contained in most carbohydrates, is supplied with food and enters the blood, the blood sugar level initially rises. Above a certain threshold stimulus, this increase results in the release of insulin from the pancreas.
The insulin then causes the newly absorbed glucose to enter the cells (only nerve cells are completely insulin-independent), especially muscle and liver cells, where it is either directly metabolized or converted into energy storage forms with the help of insulin. During a phase of hunger, on the other hand, the blood sugar level drops, causing glucagon to be released, also from the pancreas. Glucagon acts as an antagonist to insulin and causes an increased release of glucose from the energy stores into the blood to raise the level and thus ensure a sufficient supply of glucose. The “stress hormones” adrenaline and noradrenaline as well as adrenal cortex hormones such as cortisol also cause a rapid increase in blood sugar (hyperglycaemia). – Insulinand
- Glucagon
Hyperglycemia
An increase in blood sugar above the normal level is called hyperglycaemia. It is usually triggered by diabetes mellitus, but also usually occurs for a short time after a carbohydrate-containing meal. The following are some of the symptoms that show themselves to be very pronounced
- Increased urination
- Increased thirst
- Dry skin and mucous membranes
- Swindle
- …or at worst, a hyperglycemic coma.
Hypoglycaemia / hypoglycemia
Hypoglycaemia in the laboratory chemical sense is defined as a value of less than 45 mg/dl. The symptoms of a drop in blood sugar vary greatly from person to person. Signs of this can be: For example, hypoglycaemia can be triggered by
- Ravenous appetite
- Tiredness
- Urge to urinate and defecate
- Unrest
- Accelerated pulse
- Weld outbreaks
- Muscle tremor
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Visual disturbances or
- Seize up
- To the point of shock and loss of consciousness. – an overdose of insulin
- Or other antidiabetics
- Addison’s disease
- Malignant (malignant) tumours
- Hepatitis
- Malnutrition
- Chronic pancreatitis
