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Artie Lange never made it to his show in Ohio this weekend -- but ya can't blame the guy ... he stayed grounded on doctor's orders.

Sources close to Artie tell TMZ ... he wasn't feeling well Saturday ahead of his comedy show in Akron, Ohio because of high sugar levels. We're told he suffers from this due to his diabetes.

Rather than risk further injury by taking a flight from his home in New Jersey to Ohio, we're told Artie followed his doctor's instructions to hit a hospital and skip the show. Sources say Artie had a bad reaction the last time he flew with high blood sugar, so it was a no-brainer.