Monday, May 20, 2013

A Primer On How To Read A Blood Sugar Chart

By C.j. Ringwall


Type 2 diabetes can creep up on you without you even knowing it. Watch for any of the following symptoms, if you see any of these, you should have your blood glucose level checked if:

-You urinate too frequently

-You feel consistently thirsty

-You lose weight unexpectedly

-You suffer from chronic tiredness or have blurry vision

If you have any of the above, you could have diabetes or pre diabetes, and it's time for a visit to your doctor to check your blood sugar. Some of tests your doctor may run would include:

-Hemoglobin A1-C (or sometimes written as HbA1c) - glycohemoglobin, a reliable test that measures your blood glucose levels over a period of time.

Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG)- your blood sugar levels after at least 8 hours of fasting

-Oral Glucose Tolerance - you drink a bottle of measured glucose and then your blood is taken in hourly intervals to check the blood sugar levels over time.

You can't do these tests at home - your doctor will have to order them and the tests are run in a clinical lab. Your doctor will likely run the fasting glucose test first, and then the others will follow if the fasting test is abnormal.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may have an abnormal result for the fasting glucose, but the follow-up tests may be normal, as your blood sugar levels have not raised up enough to show up on every test.

The Sugar Levels Chart

These are considered 'normal ranges' the three tests mentioned above:



Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2012.

Note that these numbers are not absolute; your health care provider will have to evaluate all your lab results and your clinical symptoms to determine your diagnosis.

Here are some other important points to consider:

-If you are over 45, you should be tested for pre-diabetes.

-Obese patients under 45 should be tested too, particularly if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above.

-If you take no action, pre-diabetes can develop into full Type 2 diabetes in 10 years.

-If you have pre-diabetes, you can prevent the onset of full type 2 diabetes with just a few simple lifestyle changes.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with health. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her physician or other medical specialist.




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