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Multiple Choice

During an infection in a client with type I diabetes mellitus, what happens to the blood glucose level?

When the body fights an infection, it releases stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, glucagon, and growth hormone. These hormones raise blood glucose by signaling the liver to produce more glucose and by making body tissues less responsive to insulin. In type I diabetes, there isn’t enough insulin to counteract this rise, so blood glucose tends to increase during illness. This is why infections are a common trigger for higher glucose levels and, if not managed carefully, for diabetic ketoacidosis. So the best answer is that blood glucose increases.

When the body fights an infection, it releases stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, glucagon, and growth hormone. These hormones raise blood glucose by signaling the liver to produce more glucose and by making body tissues less responsive to insulin. In type I diabetes, there isn’t enough insulin to counteract this rise, so blood glucose tends to increase during illness. This is why infections are a common trigger for higher glucose levels and, if not managed carefully, for diabetic ketoacidosis. So the best answer is that blood glucose increases.