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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does High Sugar Level Cause Lethargy?

My mother had a severe stroke about 3 months ago. She can not speak or use the right side of her body. She is a diabetic. She has made some minor improvements during her recovery but has leveled off and even regressed in the last 1-2 weeks. She has been really lethargic over the last week. She wants to sleep all of the time. Her glucose level the last several days has been in the upper 300's several times over the last few days. Could this high glucose level be responsible for her lethargy? We are not sure what her glucose levels were before.
Tue, 19 Sep 2017
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Cardiologist,  's  Response
Hi,

Thank you for asking your query on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone through your query and to give a direct answer, both high and low levels of glucose in a diabetic person can cause fatigue. High sugar levels in the blood slow down the circulation thereby decreasing the oxygen/nutrient supply to the tissues. Low blood sugar levels lead to decrease supply of fuel (glucose) to the tissue cells and hence can lead to fatigue. This means the blood glucose levels in a diabetic should be monitored and maintained at normal levels with the help of medications and lifestyle changes, at all times.
Apart from diabetes, there are other causes of fatigue like anemia, low thyroid levels, infections, medicine side effects etc. and need to be taken into consideration too. Kindly consult your doctor for the further course of action and let me know in case of any further query.

Best
Dr Vishesh
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Does High Sugar Level Cause Lethargy?

Hi, Thank you for asking your query on HealthcareMagic. I have gone through your query and to give a direct answer, both high and low levels of glucose in a diabetic person can cause fatigue. High sugar levels in the blood slow down the circulation thereby decreasing the oxygen/nutrient supply to the tissues. Low blood sugar levels lead to decrease supply of fuel (glucose) to the tissue cells and hence can lead to fatigue. This means the blood glucose levels in a diabetic should be monitored and maintained at normal levels with the help of medications and lifestyle changes, at all times. Apart from diabetes, there are other causes of fatigue like anemia, low thyroid levels, infections, medicine side effects etc. and need to be taken into consideration too. Kindly consult your doctor for the further course of action and let me know in case of any further query. Best Dr Vishesh