What is blood glucose monitoring?. How does it work?. What are the benefits of blood glucose monitoring?. What are the risks and precautions?.

What is Blood Glucose Monitoring?

Blood glucose monitoring is the process of checking your blood sugar levels using a portable device called a glucometer. This allows individuals with diabetes to closely track their blood sugar fluctuations throughout the day and make informed decisions about their treatment plan. By understanding how different factors like food, exercise, and medications affect their blood sugar, people with diabetes can better manage their condition and reduce the risk of complications.

How Does Blood Glucose Monitoring Work?

Blood glucose monitoring involves using a small, portable device called a glucometer. To use the glucometer, you first need to obtain a small drop of blood, usually from your fingertip, using a small needle called a lancet. This blood sample is then applied to a test strip that is inserted into the glucometer. The glucometer then analyzes the blood sample and provides a digital readout of your current blood sugar level.

What are the Benefits of Blood Glucose Monitoring?

Regular blood glucose monitoring offers several benefits for individuals with diabetes. By tracking your blood sugar levels, you can:

• Identify patterns and trends in your blood sugar levels
• Understand how different foods, activities, and medications affect your blood sugar
• Make informed decisions about your treatment plan, including adjusting insulin dosages or making dietary changes
• Prevent or detect high and low blood sugar levels, which can have serious health consequences if left untreated
• Collaborate with your healthcare team to develop the most effective management strategies for your individual needs

What are the Risks and Precautions?

The risks associated with blood glucose monitoring are generally minimal, especially when compared to the potential complications of uncontrolled diabetes. However, it’s important to take certain precautions to ensure accurate results and prevent the spread of infections:

• Always use a clean, sterile lancet to obtain the blood sample
• Avoid sharing needles, lancets, or other testing supplies with others to prevent the spread of illnesses like HIV or hepatitis
• Properly dispose of used lancets and test strips to prevent injury or exposure to biohazards
• Follow the instructions provided with your glucometer to ensure accurate readings
• Consult with your healthcare provider to determine your individual blood sugar target ranges and testing schedule

What are the Complications of High and Low Blood Sugar Levels?

Untreated high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can lead to serious health complications:

• High blood sugar can contribute to heart disease, nerve damage, vision problems, and kidney disease if left unmanaged
• Low blood sugar can cause confusion, weakness, dizziness, and even seizures or coma in severe cases

Regular blood glucose monitoring can help you and your healthcare team identify and address these issues before they become more severe.

How Can I Obtain Blood Glucose Monitoring Supplies?

You can obtain blood glucose monitoring kits and supplies from a variety of sources:

• Your doctor’s office or a diabetes educator
• A pharmacy or online store
• Your health insurance provider may cover the cost of some supplies

Be sure to discuss the available options and costs with your healthcare provider to determine the best fit for your needs and budget.

How Can I Ensure Accurate Blood Glucose Readings?

To obtain the most accurate blood glucose readings, it’s important to follow the instructions provided with your glucometer and testing supplies. This includes:

• Washing your hands thoroughly before testing
• Using a clean, sterile lancet to obtain the blood sample
• Properly applying the blood sample to the test strip
• Calibrating your glucometer according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• Testing at the recommended times, such as before or after meals, as directed by your healthcare provider

By taking these steps, you can ensure that your blood glucose readings provide an accurate representation of your current blood sugar levels.

Blood Glucose Monitoring: How It Works

Blood glucose monitoring

Testing your blood sugar level is one of the best ways to understand your diabetes and how different foods, medications, and activities affect your diabetes. Keeping track of your blood glucose can help you and your doctor make a plan to manage this condition.

People use portable blood glucose meters, called glucometers, to check their blood sugar levels. These work by analyzing a small amount of blood, usually from a fingertip.

A lancet lightly pricks your skin to obtain the blood. Meters tell you your current blood sugar. But, since blood sugar levels change, you need to test levels often and record them.

You can get blood glucose monitoring kits and supplies from:

• your doctor’s office
• a diabetes educator’s office
• a pharmacy
• online stores

You can discuss the price with your doctor or pharmacist. Glucose meters come with testing strips, small needles, or lancets, to prick your finger, and a device to hold the needle. The kit may include a logbook or you might be able to download the readings onto your computer.

Meters vary in cost and size. Some have added features to suit different needs and preferences. These may include:

• audio capabilities for people with vision impairment
• backlit screens to help you see them in low light
• additional memory or data storage
• preloaded test strips for people who have difficulty using their hands
• USB ports to load information directly to a computer

Regular glucose monitoring is one way people with diabetes can learn more about their condition. When it’s time to make important decisions about medication dosage, exercise, and diet, knowing your blood glucose levels will help you, your doctor, and the rest of your healthcare team.

By checking your blood glucose levels routinely, you’ll also know when your blood sugar is too high or too low, both of which can cause symptoms and serious health problems.

Your doctor will calculate the target range for your blood glucose based on your age, your type of diabetes, your overall health, and other factors. It’s important to keep your glucose levels within your target range as best as you can.

Complications of high and low blood sugar levels

If you don’t get treatment, high blood sugar levels can lead to long-term complications, including:

• heart disease
• nerve damage
• vision problems
• poor blood flow
• kidney disease

Low blood sugar levels can also cause symptoms that include:

• confusion
• weakness
• dizziness
• jitters
• sweating

Low blood sugar can also lead to serious complications, such as seizures and coma.

Risks from the blood glucose test are minimal and much lower than the risks of not monitoring your blood sugar levels.

If you share insulin needles and testing supplies with someone, you’re at an increased risk of spreading illnesses, such as:

• HIV
• hepatitis B
• hepatitis C

You should never share needles or finger-stick devices for any reason.

Before checking your blood glucose levels, make sure that you have:

• a finger-stick device to prick your finger, such as a lancet
• an alcohol swab to sterilize the puncture site
• a blood glucose monitor
• a bandage if bleeding continues beyond a few drops

Also, depending on the type of test you’re taking, you may need to adjust your meal schedule or time it around your meal, depending on your doctor’s instructions.

Before you begin, wash your hands thoroughly to prevent infection at the finger-prick site. If you use alcohol wipes instead of washing, be sure to let the site dry before testing.

Next, put a testing strip into the meter. Prick your finger with the lancet to get a small drop of blood. Use the sides of the fingertips instead of the tip to decrease finger discomfort.

The blood goes on the test strip you inserted into the meter. Your monitor will analyze the blood and give you the blood glucose reading on its digital display usually within a minute.

Finger pricks rarely require a bandage, but you may want to use one if bleeding continues beyond a few drops. It’s important to follow all the instructions that came with your glucometer to ensure accurate results.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you may need to test your blood glucose four or more times per day. This includes before and after meals and exercise, and more often when you are sick.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your doctor will let you know when and how often to test your blood glucose.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology recommends you keep fasting and premeal glucose values at 80-130 and post-prandial

However, these are general guidelines and are not for everyone. Ask your doctor about your target levels.

Regular blood glucose monitoring is an essential tool to help you take control of your diabetes. By identifying and recording changes in your blood sugar levels, you’ll have more information about how food, exercise, stress, and other factors affect your diabetes.

Diabetic coma – Symptoms & causes

Overview

A diabetic coma is a life-threatening disorder that causes unconsciousness. If you have diabetes, dangerously high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can lead to a diabetic coma.

If you go into a diabetic coma, you’re alive — but you can’t wake up or respond purposefully to sights, sounds or other types of stimulation. If it’s not treated, a diabetic coma can result in death.

The idea of a diabetic coma can be scary, but you can take steps to help prevent it. One of the most important is to follow your diabetes treatment plan.

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Symptoms

Symptoms of high blood sugar or low blood sugar usually develop before a diabetic coma.

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)

If your blood sugar level is too high, you may have:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Blurred vision
• Tiredness or weakness
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Stomach pain
• Fruity breath odor
• A very dry mouth

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

If your blood sugar is too low, you may have:

• Shakiness
• Anxiety
• Tiredness or drowsiness
• Weakness
• Sweating
• Hunger
• A feeling of tingling on your skin
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Headache
• Difficulty speaking
• Blurry vision
• Confusion
• Loss of consciousness

Some people, especially those who’ve had diabetes for a long time, develop a condition known as hypoglycemia unawareness. That means they don’t have warning symptoms that signal a drop in blood sugar.

If you have any symptoms of high or low blood sugar, test your blood sugar right away. Based on the test results, follow your diabetes treatment. If you don’t start to feel better quickly, or you start to feel worse, get medical care right away.

When to see a doctor

A diabetic coma is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of high or low blood sugar and you think you might pass out, call 911 or your local emergency number.

If you’re with someone with diabetes who has passed out, call for emergency help. Tell the emergency personnel that the unconscious person has diabetes.

Causes

Blood sugar that’s either too high or too low for too long may cause the following serious health problems, all of which can lead to a diabetic coma.

• Diabetic ketoacidosis. If your muscle cells become starved for energy, your body may start breaking down fat for energy. This process forms toxic acids known as ketones. If you have ketones (measured in blood or urine) and high blood sugar, the condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis. If it’s not treated, it can lead to a diabetic coma.

  Diabetic ketoacidosis is most common in people who have type 1 diabetes. But it can also occur in people who have type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes.

• Diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome. If your blood sugar level goes above 600 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 33.3 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), the condition is called diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome.

  When blood sugar is very high, the extra sugar passes from the blood into the urine. That triggers a process that draws a large amount of fluid from the body. If it isn’t treated, this can lead to life-threatening dehydration and a diabetic coma.

• Hypoglycemia. Your brain needs sugar (glucose) to function. In severe cases, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) may cause you to pass out. Low blood sugar can be caused by too much insulin or not enough food. Exercising too vigorously or drinking too much alcohol can have the same effect.

Risk factors

Anyone who has diabetes is at risk of a diabetic coma, but the following factors can increase the risk:

• Insulin delivery problems. If you’re using an insulin pump, you have to check your blood sugar frequently. Insulin delivery can stop if the pump fails or if the tubing (catheter) becomes twisted or falls out of place. A lack of insulin can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis.
• An illness, trauma or surgery. When you’re sick or injured, blood sugar levels can change, sometimes significantly, increasing your risk of diabetic ketoacidosis and diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome.
• Poorly managed diabetes. If you don’t monitor your blood sugar properly or take your medications as directed by your health care provider, you have a higher risk of developing long-term health problems and a higher risk of diabetic coma.
• Deliberately skipping meals or insulin. Sometimes, people with diabetes who also have an eating disorder choose not to use their insulin as they should, in the hope of losing weight. This is a dangerous, life-threatening thing to do, and it raises the risk of a diabetic coma.
• Drinking alcohol. Alcohol can have unpredictable effects on your blood sugar. Alcohol’s effects may make it harder for you to know when you’re having low blood sugar symptoms. This can increase your risk of a diabetic coma caused by hypoglycemia.
• Illegal drug use. Illegal drugs, such as cocaine, can increase your risk of severe high blood sugar and conditions linked to diabetic coma.

Complications

If it is not treated, a diabetic coma can lead to permanent brain damage and death.

Prevention

Good day-to-day control of your diabetes can help you prevent a diabetic coma. Keep these tips in mind:

• Follow your meal plan. Consistent snacks and meals can help you control your blood sugar level.
• Keep an eye on your blood sugar level. Frequent blood sugar tests can tell you whether you’re keeping your blood sugar level in your target range. It also can alert you to dangerous highs or lows. Check more frequently if you’ve exercised. Exercise can cause blood sugar levels to drop, even hours later, especially if you don’t exercise regularly.
• Take your medication as directed. If you have frequent episodes of high or low blood sugar, tell your health care provider. You may need to have the dose or the timing of your medication adjusted.
• Have a sick-day plan. Illness can cause an unexpected change in blood sugar. If you are sick and unable to eat, your blood sugar may drop. While you are healthy, talk with your doctor about how to best manage your blood sugar levels if you get sick. Consider storing at least a week’s worth of diabetes supplies and an extra glucagon kit in case of emergencies.
• Check for ketones when your blood sugar is high. Check your urine for ketones when your blood sugar level is over 250 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) (14 millimoles per liter (mmol/L)) on more than two consecutive tests, especially if you are sick. If you have a large amount of ketones, call your health care provider for advice. Call your health care provider immediately if you have any level of ketones and are vomiting. High levels of ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to coma.
• Have glucagon and fast-acting sources of sugar available. If you take insulin for your diabetes, have an up-to-date glucagon kit and fast-acting sources of sugar, such as glucose tablets or orange juice, readily available to treat low blood sugar levels.

• Consider a continuous glucose monitor, especially if you have trouble maintaining stable blood sugar levels or you don’t feel symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia unawareness).

  Continuous glucose monitors are devices that use a small sensor inserted underneath the skin to track trends in blood sugar levels and send the information to a wireless device, such as a smart phone.

  These monitors can alert you when your blood sugar is dangerously low or if it is dropping too fast. But you still need to test your blood sugar levels using a blood glucose meter even if you’re using one of these monitors. Continuous glucose monitors are more expensive than other glucose monitoring methods, but they may help you control your glucose better.

• Drink alcohol with caution. Because alcohol can have an unpredictable effect on your blood sugar, have a snack or a meal when you drink alcohol, if you choose to drink at all.
• Educate your loved ones, friends and co-workers. Teach loved ones and other close contacts how to recognize the early symptoms of blood sugar extremes and how to give emergency injections. If you pass out, someone should be able to call for emergency help.
• Wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace. If you’re unconscious, the bracelet or necklace can provide valuable information to your friends, co-workers and emergency personnel.

Continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump

A continuous glucose monitor, on the left, is a device that measures blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor inserted under the skin. An insulin pump, attached to the pocket, is a device that’s worn outside of the body with a tube that connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter inserted under the skin of the abdomen. Insulin pumps are programmed to deliver specific amounts of insulin continuously and with food.

How to lower blood sugar levels – May 21, 2022

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Nutrition with high blood sugar should be given special attention

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Elevated blood sugar levels are a wake-up call, Dr. Peter says. If the numbers deviated slightly from the norm, it is worthwhile to analyze your lifestyle without delay and revise it if necessary.

— Normally, the blood sugar (glucose) level from a vein on an empty stomach is up to 6.1 mmol/l, 2 hours after eating — up to 7.8 mmol/l, — endocrinologist Gulnara Belousova explained to Doctor Peter. – In diabetes mellitus, the glucose level is equal to or higher than 7.0 mmol / l, 2 hours after eating – 11.1 mmol / l and above. An increase in the blood glucose level of more than 8.0 mmol / l has a toxic effect on the pancreas, damaging the cells that produce insulin.

Gulnara Belousova — endocrinologist at the Zdravitsa Family Medicine Center in Novosibirsk.

An increase in blood sugar after meals is especially dangerous for the vessels of the heart and brain. So, with very high blood glucose levels (more than 13. 0 mmol / l), ketones (markers of carbohydrate metabolism disorders) may appear in the urine, and this condition may require hospitalization, the doctor notes.

If diabetes is diagnosed, hypoglycemic drugs are immediately prescribed.

“Yes, maybe,” the endocrinologist assures. – In this disease, there is a violation of the production of insulin and / or a violation of the sensitivity of body cells to it.

Insulin is needed in order to pass glucose into the cell. If there is not enough of it or the cells of the body do not feel it, glucose remains in the blood. The reason is the violation of metabolic processes inside the body, and malnutrition only exacerbates the situation, accelerates the development of diabetes.

“At first, with a slight increase in blood glucose levels on the background of the diet, in some cases it is possible to achieve normalization of carbohydrate metabolism,” explains Gulnara Belousova. But, as a rule, this effect does not last for a long period. During the absence of therapy, complications will develop. The sooner treatment is started, the better the outcome. Modern hypoglycemic drugs not only effectively and safely reduce blood glucose, but also prevent the development of cardiovascular complications, prolong the life of patients.

The goal of treating diabetes is not to see the right number in the analysis, but to ensure a good quality of life without complications and increase its duration, the doctor says.

— Nutrition is part of the treatment of diabetes, — explains the endocrinologist. “We are not talking about hard limits. Severe calorie restriction and fasting are contraindicated. To begin with, you need to limit fats as much as possible (primarily of animal origin) and sweet foods. Moderately worth eating foods consisting mainly of complex carbohydrates and proteins. You should choose carbohydrates in the composition of vegetables, whole grains, dairy products.

In diabetes, the benefits of taking vitamins (in the absence of signs of beriberi), microelements, and various dietary supplements have not been proven.

“If blood sugar is slightly elevated, you can lower it without pills by observing the diet,” explained nutritionist Alexandra Lysenkova .

1. Eliminate fast carbohydrates in the form of sweets, pastries, fast food, sugary drinks, soda, sauces (ketchup).

2. Avoid side dishes such as mashed potatoes, whole grain pasta and white rice.

3. Focus on cooked, raw and pickled vegetables (1/2 plate), quality protein – fish, seafood, offal, poultry, meat – rabbit, beef, lamb, legumes (1/4 plate) and slow carbohydrates – buckwheat, wild rice, millet, quinoa, whole grains (1/4 plate).

It is important not to eat carbohydrates separately (they are digested quickly and cause blood sugar spikes). It is better to combine carbohydrates with protein foods. Protein slows down the digestion process, keeping you feeling full longer, and reduces the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream.

4. Do not forget about healthy fats in every meal – eggs, fatty fish, unrefined raw-pressed vegetable oils, raw nuts and seeds, avocados, olives.

Nuts have a balanced content of vegetable proteins, fiber and healthy fats, which help to maintain normal sugar levels.

Good blood sugar combinations include eggs and whole grain toast, oatmeal and yogurt, chicken with brown rice, crackers and cheese.

5. Any kind of physical exercise lowers blood sugar levels.

— In case of diabetes, aerobic exercise lasting 30-40 minutes daily is recommended, — said endocrinologist Gulnara Belousova. – Regularity is important. Physical activity improves quality of life and helps to reduce and maintain body weight.

– Physical activity should be dosed individually for each person. The duration of light to moderate intensity activities, such as walking, swimming, cycling, should be 45-60 minutes a day at least three times a week – I’m sure and therapist of the NAKFF Medical Clinic Tatyana Nalegach . – As for the swings of the arms – such exercises are aimed at stimulating the lymphatic channel, since the lymphatic vessels do not have their own heart and valves. Therefore, the movement of lymph is stimulated only by the work of striated muscles. And in the shoulder girdle are the largest clusters of lymph nodes and blood vessels. These exercises have a positive effect on the functioning of all organs, including insulin resistance or diabetes.

Anna Maiskaya

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adults and children

Blood sugar levels for adults and children

Blood sugar levels for adults and children. Tables of international application.

The following glucose ranges are given in the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, but each person should check these values ​​with their doctor or diabetes educator.

Table 1. NICE recommended target ranges for blood glucose:

* Glucose values ​​for people without diabetes are for informational purposes only and are not part of the NICE guidelines.

For most healthy people, normal blood sugar values ​​are as follows:

4.0-6.0 mmol/l (72-108 mg/dl) fasting;

up to 7.8 mmol/l (140 mg/dl) – 2 hours after a meal.

For people with diabetes, the target blood sugar values ​​are:

Before meals: 4-7 mmol/l for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes;

After meals: up to 9 mmol/l for people with type 1 diabetes and up to 8.5 mmol/l for people with type 2 diabetes

Table 2. Blood sugar levels in the diagnosis of diabetes

900 02

Fasting plasma glucose measurement.

This analysis is carried out after a minimum of eight hours of fasting (usually in the morning). According to NICE recommendations, a fasting plasma glucose level of 5.5 mmol / l indicates an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially in combination with other risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, which Diafast tablets help fight.

Oral glucose tolerance test .

First, three days before the test, you should eat as usual, not specifically excluding “fast” carbohydrates, such as sweets. Secondly, the start of the study is carried out on an empty stomach, therefore, after an evening meal before the morning test, there should be a period of at least 10 hours. And even better if it is 16 hours. The first blood sampling is carried out from a finger on an empty stomach. The patient then drinks a saturated sugar solution (75 g of glucose is dissolved in 300 ml of water). Sometimes lemon juice is added to the solution to make it more pleasant to drink. If 2 hours after exercise, the blood sugar level does not exceed 7.8 mmol / l, this is the norm. A decrease in tolerance is diagnosed if this indicator is between 7.8 and 11.1 mmol / l.

HbA1c measurement to diagnose diabetes mellitus

Glycosylated hemoglobin is one of the most important laboratory parameters in diabetes mellitus.