Blood glucose monitoring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blood glucose monitoring is a way of testing how much glucose is in the blood (glycemia).
This is important in the care of diabetes mellitus. Most persons with Type 2 diabetes need to test at least once per day (usually before breakfast) to access the effectiveness of their diet and exercise for controlling their blood glucose levels. Many persons with Type 2 are using an oral medication to combat their insulin resistance, and must test their blood glucose before and after breakfast to access the effectiveness of their dosage. All persons who need to inject insulin, both for Type 1 diabetes and Type 2, need also to test their blood sugar more often (4 to 10 times per day) to access the effectiveness of their prior insulin dose and to calculate their next insulin dose.
Improved technology for measuring blood glucose is rapidly changing the standards of care for all diabetic persons. There are several methods of blood glucose testing currently available.
[edit] Chemical Test Strips
Chemical Test Strips are a low cost method for monitoring blood glucose. A fairly large drop of blood, usually taken from the fingertip, is placed on a chemically prepared strip, called a blood glucose testing strip. The strip chemistry will cause it to change color according to the amount of glucose is in the blood. One can tell if their level of blood glucose is low, high, or normal by comparing the color on the end of the strip to a color chart that is printed on the side of the test strip container.
[edit] Blood Glucose Meters
A blood glucose meter is an electronic device for measuring the blood glucose level. A relatively small drop of blood is placed on an electro-chemical test strip, which is then inserted into the glucose meter. Within several seconds, the level of blood glucose will be shown on a digital window display.
While more expensive, blood glucose meters seem a breakthrough in diabetes self care. As the drops of blood needed for the meter become smaller, the pain associated with testing is reduced and the compliance of diabetic persons to their testing regimens is improved. However, the cost of test strips is more painful than the finger poke if the user does not have good medical insurance. Although the cost of using blood glucose meters seems high, it is believed to be a cost benefit relative to the avoided medical costs of the complications of diabetes.
A recent and welcome advance is the use of small blood drops for blood glucose testing from other places than the finger tips. This alternate site testing uses the same test strips and meter, is practically pain free, and gives the real estate on the finger tips a needed break if they become sore.
[edit] Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring
A continuous blood glucose monitor is an emerging medical technology that is not yet widely used. The concept is that a disposable glucose sensor is placed under the skin, where it will remain for a few days until replacement. It communicates to an electronic meter that displays blood glucose levels on a practically continuous manner, and monitors trends in glycemic excursions. This will be invaluable to persons dependant upon insulin in the dosing of their insulin for optimal control of blood glucose level. The continuous sensors promise to improve the lifestyle of insulin users who struggle to lead a normal dynamic and stress-free lifestyle, and to reduce worry associated with low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia that can suddenly lead to unconsciousness and in worst cases death. By sensing blood glucose continuously, the technology can initiate an alarm when the blood glucose is too high or too low, thus giving the insulin user the opportunity to immediately resolve the issue.
Current products include:
A diabetes support group has prepared this summary of CBGM products and features.
Technology being demonstrated for continuous glucose monitoring is promising in the development of a closed-loop system connecting real-time automatic control of an insulin pump based on immediate blood glucose data from the sensor. With an algorithm for automatic control, this can function as an artificial pancreas.
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