About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffDiabetic hyperosmolar syndrome is a medical emergency that you won't have time to prepare for. If you've been feeling the symptoms of high blood sugar, such as extreme thirst and excessive urination, for a few days, check your blood sugar level and call your doctor for advice. If you feel the symptoms of extreme high blood sugar (more than 600 mg/dL or 33 mmol/L), call 911 or your local emergency number. Don't try to drive yourself to the hospital.
If you're with someone with diabetes who is acting confused, has one-sided weakness, or who has passed out, call for immediate medical help.
After you've received treatment and are feeling better, some questions you might want to ask your doctor include:
- How can I better control my diabetes?
- What range does my blood sugar need to be in?
- Do I need to see a specialist?
- What dietary changes do I need to follow?
- Can I get help from a dietitian?
- Does eating a meal with a lot of sugar bring on this syndrome?
- Do I need to consume fluids more regularly?
- Can diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome happen again?
- Kitabchi AE, et al. Hyperglycemic crises in adult patients with diabetes (Consensus statement). Diabetes Care. 2009:32;1335.
- Masharani U. Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemia. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. 49th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=15524. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Masharani U, et al. Pancreatic hormones and diabetes mellitus. In: Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic and Clinical Endocrinology. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2633151. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/hyperosmolar-hyperglycemic.html. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010.
- Kitabchi AE, et al. Clinical features and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Stoner, G. Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state. American Family Physician. 2005;71:1723.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes, 2010. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(suppl):11.
- Collazzo-Clavell ML (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 1, 2010.
- Rosenow E (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 31, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on