Personal Health Solutions from NaturalNews Replace your toxic laundry detergent with natural laundry soap that grows on trees! (Popular solution!) This top "underground" natural health newsletter brings you amazing new natural cures each month. Save $100! How to treat and cure over 100 health conditions using little-known health secrets How to halt type-2 diabetes with nutritional therapy - over 50% cure rate proven in studies End cravings with this guide to natural appetite suppressants (Download edition available.) How to blend nutritious meals in minutes with Adams' Superfood smoothie recipes (Delicious!) Breakthrough LED lighting technology prevents global warming, saves 90% on your lighting bill • Browse more health books... • Shop our eco-friendly products... All sales help fund NaturalNews operations.

The study of 216,000 ICU patients found high blood sugar linked to an increase in death risk among certain patients, and that the risk varied according to disease type.

"The increased deaths associated with hyperglycemia in intensive care units was highest in those without diagnosed diabetes and in those admitted with cardiovascular disorders, such as heart attacks, unstable angina, and strokes," said study author Dr. Mercedes Falciglia, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Division of Endocrinology in Ohio.

Even a very slight increase in blood sugar -- as little as one milligram per deciliter above normal -- increased the risk of mortality, the study showed. Risk was highest in stroke patients at 15 times greater than normal in patients with the highest blood sugar readings. High blood sugar did not appear to increase the risk of death in ICU patients with COPD or liver failure, researchers said.

"These findings suggest that different disease states are variably affected by hyperglycemia, with the strongest association in individuals with cardiovascular disorders," said Falciglia.

Falciglia's team calculated a patient's risk of death by evaluating their diagnosis, other health problems, test results and age using a mathematical formula, and then recalculated their risk to include the duration of their hospitalization.

Although previous studies have linked high blood sugar to increased risk of death of hospitalized patients, attempts to control blood sugar with insulin have received mixed results -- some studies did note improvements, while others showed no difference in mortality with insulin therapy.

"Based on the outcome of this large study, we believe that the variable results of those studies may be due to the unique ways that high blood glucose may or may not affect mortality in different types of diseases -- which can be uniquely revealed through large and diverse databases such as those generated by the network of Veterans Affairs hospital ICUs," said Falciglia.

"This effect seen was also greatest in patients without diagnosed diabetes, a finding that deserves further study, because it is not clear why hyperglycemia occurs in hospitalized patients who do not have diagnosed diabetes nor why they may have worse outcomes in some cases than people with diagnosed diabetes," Falciglia added.

Results of the study were presented at the American Diabetes Association's annual Scientific Sessions, in Washington, D.C.

###

Related Articles

Popular Topics: sugar, blood sugar, high blood sugar, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/019903.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/019903.html">High Blood Sugar Can Be Deadly After Heart Attack (press release)</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts