Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot efficiently utilize insulin.
It is not fatal but leads to multi-organ failure, especially kidneys, eyes, liver, etc., which turns out to be fatal.
Diabetes, A Global Challenge Now:
Diabetes has increased dramatically over a few years. The only way to control this disease is to diagnose it early so it can be cured with medicines and doesn’t initiate organ damage.
Also, a person with diabetes must regularly monitor glucose daily. But, going to a lab every time for a test could be time-consuming. Hence, home diagnosis can help you cure this and be a game-changer for you.
Glucometer, The Simple and Best Way To Test Blood Glucose:
A glucometer is the best way to test glucose at home, proving 95% accurate. The instrument works on the concepts of enzymology.
The enzymes needed for glucose detection are usually loaded onto a strip which, when reacted with blood, will get rehydrated to give a desirable product measured using the instrument.
The procedure to test the glucose goes like a strip provided in the kit. The strip should be inserted into the instrument on which two drops of blood are added, which can be drawn from the fingertip by a needle prick, and the reaction gives the reading of blood glucose within two to three seconds on the screen.
The other effective way is also painless, using continuous glucose monitors.
These monitors have microsensors placed just above the skin with adhesive tape or as a watch, which reads the amount of blood glucose in interstitial fluids at regular intervals.
How to Choose A Glucose Monitor:
Accuracy is the first criterion to be considered when choosing a glucometer. Accuracy has to be as best as possible, and that’s what makes the device more desirable.
Data display has to be easy so that people can easily understand the readings, and a few devices are also equipped with audio capability, which helps to read the readings.
Ease of use – The instrument shouldn’t have a complicated mechanism so that older people can use it.
So, it should be suitable for all ages and everyone in society.
Size: The instrument should be as small as possible so that it is travel friendly and can be easily carried everywhere.
Additional storage capacity or Bluetooth connectivity features can help keep glucose measurements on track.
Points To Remember:
The device has to be calibrated every two weeks with blood glucose readings.
Though continuous glucose monitors are not as effective as enzymatic glucose meters, they are the best source to depend on in case constant monitoring is required.
The typical target for a healthy individual before having a meal is between 80 to 120 mg/dal, and postprandial is 160-180 mg/dal, and tested at any random time of the day should exceed 160 mg/dal.
The postprandial checking is to be done 2 hours after consuming a meal, and the pre-lunch is to be done 8 hours after consumption of the meal.
Hypoglycaemia can occur due to malnutrition and starvation when you don’t get food and the glycogen stores ante.
It causes drowsiness, numbness, slurred speech, and difficulty concentrating and leads to a person becoming unconscious and hyperglycaemia causes multiple organ failures and cardiac arrest.
Both hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia are not healthy since they cause havoc in the system.
Levels of hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia can be, at times, alarming. Especially, when the glucose concentration before lunch is below 80 mg/dL or above 120 mg/dL and postprandial is below 160 mg/dL or above 180 mg/dL.
For a person with diabetes, it is recommended to test at least twice a day; in other cases, it is good to go twice a week.
When to go for medical advice:
If the person is considered to be in the critical values, they should immediately consider doing some lifestyle changes where they should consume a low carbohydrate or high protein diet.
In that case, a person should completely avoid junk food, smoking, and consuming alcohol.
Also, he needs to exercise daily along with having foods with a low glycaemic index. He should also avoid processed foods.
If the person lands at alarming rates even after the lifestyle changes for a month, the person has to visit an endocrinologist for further advice immediately.
Medication usually includes Metformin for people whose bodies cannot use insulin and insulin when the body is not producing enough insulin.
More Details About Diabetes:
According to the current medical opinion, people who suffer from type 1 Diabetes mellitus and are on insulin medication take multiple daily doses.
They have to monitor their blood sugar levels before eating a meal or snack, 2-3 hours after every dinner, before sleeping, and when the person starts showing hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia.
Diabetes could be of three types.
Diabetes mellitus type-1 is where the patient has diabetes due to insufficient insulin production in production. It is treated by injecting insulin intravenously.
Diabetes mellitus type-2 is when the body doesn’t use the insulin it produces. Medicines usually treat this like Metformin or Glimepiride.
Gestational diabetes is where women develop diabetes during pregnancy. Due to the hormonal imbalance in pregnancy, the body doesn’t use insulin efficiently, so the blood glucose increases.
Diabetes mellitus type-1 and Gestational diabetes are to be monitored regularly, and the best way is to do home testing.
Conclusion:
Our health is always in our hands. Due to the increase in health issues in recent times, it is always preferable to have a medical check regularly.
It helps us to prevent many ailments, especially blood sugar or diabetes. And in this digital world, we have intelligent options to conduct basic health checks at home. So let’s be smart about our health.
