(March 25, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Controlling blood sugar levels tightly rather than in a less intensive manner may increase the risk of death among the critically ill, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Here is some information about blood sugar in the critically ill:

•    High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is often seen in the critically ill.

•    Severe hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of illness and death in the critically ill.

•    It is unclear how closely blood sugar should be controlled in the critically ill because tight control may increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

Researchers for the NICE-SUGAR study randomly assigned over 6,100 patients admitted into an intensive care unit to be treated with very tight control of blood sugar or a less stringent regimen.

Those who underwent tight control of their blood sugar were more likely to die during the following three months than those underwent conventional control. They were also substantially more likely to experience episodes of hypoglycemia.

Today's research shows that tight blood sugar control can actually increase the risk of death among critically ill patients.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Christina Leung.