Blood Glucose Monitors to monitor and control diabetes

Are You Aware of the Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes?

Diabetes is a very common metabolic disease brought about by deficient insulin in the body. This disrupts normal blood glucose level in the body and requires medical treatment and a change in lifestyle. A glucose test is often the best method of identifying the levels of sugar in the blood. A blood glucose monitor is also a useful device for determining the normal blood glucose level and the deviations from the norm.

The three most common symptoms of increase in the blood glucose level in the body are:-

polyuria or frequent urination - polydipsia or the increased fluid intake due to thirst - blurred vision

Thirst occurs due to the effect of osmosis. The kidneys here generate a rather high amount of glucose and since water needs to carry it, there is a fluid loss.

The body cells replace the water that is now needed to make up the decreased blood volume and this results in dehydration. Thus the body craves water and the patient is thirsty.

Blurred vision is usually caused due to change in the shape of the lens in the eye. The change occurs if the normal blood glucose level is high for a long period of time. It is important to undertake a glucose test and to continue monitoring with a blood glucose monitor if all or any of the above symptoms occur.

Labs use the plasma or serum portion of the blood sample for the glucose test. Home glucose meters or blood glucose monitors use whole blood obtained from capillaries. This difference makes the whole blood values lower than the Lab values. While interpreting readings of glucose meters, this aspect of the glucose reading needs to be kept in mind.

A number of new blood glucose monitors have attempted to reduce the confusion about the glucose reading differences between home monitors and Lab tests by adjusting their strips to calculate the glucose reading to Lab levels. The corrected strips carry the declaration that the strips have been adjusted to give lab readings. So while purchasing the glucose meter, look for the declaration on the packaging.

There is not much math involved in the glucose reading of these meters. It is enough if you know what the numbers displayed on the blood glucose monitor screen mean.

These meters are not diagnostic devices only monitoring devices useful in diabetes treatment. It monitors the glucose readings and detects the hypo events or the elevated bgs that point to changes that need to be made in the diabetes treatment.

If you are using a home blood glucose monitor to monitor your normal blood glucose level regularly, you should compare the results with those of the lab once or twice a year. This will help you ensure that your blood glucose monitor or glucose meter is functioning optimally.

It should be also remembered that consistency of results of home glucose meters are variable. No two samples will yield the same result on the same machine. No two machines will also give the same result even if the same blood sample is used unless we are very sure that both machines are calibrated the same way. Moreover, different meters have different ranges. Some monitors are accurate at low ranges and others at mid or higher ranges.

Accuracy of home glucose meters used for glucose test and glucose reading will depend on the capabilities of the meter, the maintenance of the meter and the care given to the machine and the strips. Dusty, dirty strips or meters will give inaccurate glucose reading and will be a detriment to proper diabetes treatment.

For information on Blood Pressure Monitors

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