Blood glucose monitors

Blood Glucose Monitoring

Blood glucose monitoring is a way of measuring the concentration of glucose in the blood. This measurement is essential for all people suffering from diabetes mellitus and it is supposed to be performed on regular bases. Only by measuring the level of glucose in the blood one can be sure that the treatment is effective and that the level of glucose in the blood is optimal.

Different manufacturers use different technologies for measurement of glucose in the blood. However, majority of systems measure an electrical characteristics and use this for determining the actual level of glucose in the blood.

Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus should apply suitable monitoring regime for their condition. Patients suffering from type 2 diabetes should use this test once per day while those suffering from type 1 diabetes (people who use insulin) generally test the blood several times per day. By doing so these people have suitable insight in the level of glucose and the efficiency of the treatment.

Blood Glucose Meters

Blood glucose meters are highly suitable and easy to use. They provide with information regarding blood glucose changes and help in planning meals, activities and intake of medications. They can detect any change such as hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia on time and allow a person to make suitable corrections.

There are four generations of blood glucose meters. The time needed for testing ranges form 5 seconds to 2 minutes and in case of modern meters the time necessary for measuring glucose level in the blood is around or below 15 seconds.

A blood glucose meter is an electronic device used for measuring the blood glucose level. It requires a relatively small drop of blood. The blood is placed on a disposable test strip and the strip is inserted in a digital meter. Once the blood is placed on the strip the meter needs no more that several seconds to measure the level of glucose in the blood and display the result. Since only a small drop of blood is necessary for measuring the method is not painful and the person can easily do the test him/herself.

"Alternate site testing" is a term that refers to taking blood drops from other places than the finger. So apart from taking blood samples from fingertips a person may also take blood from a palm or forearm. This way one gives a chance to sore fingertips to heal. The only disadvantage of taking blood from these sites is that the reading may not be accurate enough since the blood flow is not as good in alternate parts of the body.