Hyperglycemia could cause Type 2 diabetes in acutely ill patients, study finds

NEW YORK Heightened blood sugar during critical illnesses could be a sign of risk for Type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study by researchers in Croatia.

The study, conducted by researchers at University Hospital Centre Rebro and published in the journal Critical Care, followed 591 patients for five years after their discharge, dividing them into a group of 398 who had normal blood sugar levels during their hospital stays, and a group of 193 who developed hyperglycemia during their stays. Of the patients with normal blood sugar, 14 developed Type 2 diabetes, while among those who had hyperglycemia, 33 developed the disease.

“Despite the fact that endocrine and metabolic changes probably occur in all acutely ill patients, evident hyperglycemia is not always present,” lead researcher Ivan Gornik said. “We hypothesized that hospital-acquired hyperglycemia can therefore reveal a patient’s predisposition to impaired glucose control, which could in [the] future lead to diabetes.”