Relative Hyperglycemia, a Marker of Critical Illness: Introducing the Stress Hyperglycemia Ratio

We examined whether critical illness is more strongly associated with relative or absolute hyperglycemia.

The study was an observational cohort study. PATIENTS AND SETTING: A total of 2290 patients acutely admitted to a tertiary hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The relative hyperglycemia (stress hyperglycemia ratio [SHR]) was defined as admission glucose divided by estimated average glucose derived from glycosylated hemoglobin. The relationships between glucose and SHR with critical illness (in-hospital death or critical care) were examined.