High blood sugar dangers in hospitalized patients, what we now know:

• Hospitalized patients with uncontrolled high blood sugar may be in peril
• Controlling blood sugar levels in hospitalized patients can make the difference between life and death
• Controlling blood sugar levels in hospitalized patients saves lives, reduces disability, shortens hospital stay and saves healthcare dollars
• Currently, hospitals either create their own blood sugar monitoring and management standards or have no standards at all

What you can do to improve your outcome or that of a loved one:

• If you have diabetes and are hospitalized, request intensive therapy to manage your blood sugar
• If you or a loved one is hospitalized and do not have diabetes, ask a nurse whether your blood sugar has been checked
• If a loved one who has diabetes or has high blood sugar is hospitalized, ask if intensive therapy might be appropriate

Know your risk for unmanaged blood sugar-related death or disability:

• 18.2 million Americans have diabetes
• One in three people with diabetes is unaware of their condition
• Also at risk are people with undiagnosed diabetes as well as those who develop high blood sugar because of the stress of their illness
• Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in America
• Stroke patients with high blood sugar are more likely to die or have permanent disability than stroke patients with normal blood sugar levels
• Heart attack patients with high blood sugar are twice as likely to be alive one year later if they receive intensive blood sugar control while in the hospital
• 30 percent to 40 percent of heart surgery patients have diabetes