January 31, 2003
Sick Days
Question from Florida, USA:
My dad, who is in the end stages of Alzheimer’s disease, was recently put on a water pill for fluid retention and ended up in the hospital severely dehydrated. He had a very bad urinary tract infection, his electrolytes were off, and his blood sugar was high. Dad has never had any sugar related problems, nor do they run in his family.The doctor is giving him a sliding scale of insulin, and no one is saying why his sugar goes so high and then so low. Do any sugar related problems go along with dehydration or old age? Can you shed any light on this situation?
Answer:
With severe illness and marked stress, the blood sugars can go up in patients who previously did not have elevated sugars. Additionally, if he is receiving intravenous fluids or feedings, the blood may be enriched with these fluids and falsely elevate the glucose.
You need to find out from your father’s physician how high the sugars are and get their impression of how severe the situation is. Additionally, people with a predisposition to diabetes may have it brought out during an episode of acute illness.
JTL
