Blood glucose meters how accurate
Common Questions and Answers about Blood glucose meters how accurate
blood-glucose
Home glucose checking is designed to only give a ballpark snapshot of what our blood glucose is at that moment of time. Blood flow through the body is dynamic and the chemistry, including glucose, at any given point will very from one moment to the next. That said unless you took a blood sample and tested it many times (not taking a new sample for each test, thus a different blood chemistry) the variance in readings you recorded are normal.
In your first thread I mentioned that the FDA set manufacturing guidelines for home glucose meters at ± [plus/minus] 20%. This means your 70 mg/dl reading could be 70 mg/dl or it could be as low as 56 mg/dl or as high as 84 mg/dl. Home meters give an approximation not a true reading of glucose levels. Since your 100 mg/dl reading two minutes later falls out of this range, the questions remaining are:
1. How old is your father's meter?
2. Do the test strips have an expiration date?
3.
s interesting that you question the accuracy of your glucose meter for I was reading the September 2008 issues of Consumer Reports that rated both blood-pressure monitors and blood-glucose meters. Only one blood-glucose meter scored excellent overall and also scored the highest for consistency- the Johnson & Johnson Lifescan OneTouch Ultra Mini. The Ultra Mini was followed by Ascensia Contour, ReliOn Ultima (WalMart), and Accu-check Compact Plus.
The FDA set meter guidelines as ± 20%, meaning a meters results can be 20% deviate in both directions. Meters are not designed to be accurate but only to reflect an estimate. Not all blood samples are alike nor carry the same amount of glucose and the reason for one reading to be 116 mg/dl and a minute later 88 mg/dl. This is why doctors and hospitals alike use the A1c test as the gold standard. The A1c measures your glucose going back 2-3 months. Why?
A good way to see if yours is within normal variance is to bring along your meter when you go for a blood draw (from a vein). Within 5-10 minutes of them drawing blood, do your own blood test and save the results. Compare them with what the doc tells you your number was. Your result should be within 15% of the doc's result.
What's important here is to know how you feel & how you function when your BG is at different numbers.
Before leaving her doctors office your mother should have gotten a wealth of printed information on how to control and manage her diabetes. A list of recommended home glucose test meters should have been part of that package.
As for the inconsistency in the readings, I, too, have read that glucose drops from fingertips are the most accurate. Other liquids are in the body, and if that particular "poke" caused a mixture of blood and other tissue liquids, your numbers could be slightly different from what his real glucose levels are. I test from fingertips and have had many types of glucometers in my 37 years with type 1 diabetes, and have never found them to be inaccurate.
I found his meter - should I begin checking my blood sugar regularly? Would this be a better place to begin so that I can self-monitor not only to adjust my eating schedule but also to have some information to supply my doctor at the first of the year. Just not sure where to begin or what to do. The world is a lonely place without your parents to provide support and information!
Thanks for your advice.
Your home meter [test kit] could also be whacked giving you inaccurate test results. Not all meters are accurate as I stated in my Medhelp Forum July 19, 2009 post, "Tighter Standard Needed on Diabetes Meters". To back this claim, in September 2008 Consumer Reports, a US based nonprofit organization, test results showed "The OneTouch UltraMini [Johnson & Johnson], the only meter to score excellent overall, also scored the highest for consistency.
My husband has has Type II diabetes for 16 years and his blood sugar levels are checked with blood tests. This is what the Blood Glucose Meters do, they measure your blood sugar level by you nicking your finger and getting a drop of blood into the meter, which then shows them a number. I'm sure you've seen these on TV, but you don't need one unless you are diagnosed with diabetes.
Yes, there is a difference. The glucose meter measures blood sugar at that exact moment. The A1C, on the other hand, gives an average of blood sugars for about 2-3 months period. The A1C therefore, gives a lot more significant information but it can also be misleading. For example of someone has a lot of highs, but also a lot of lows, it might average out and look like the person is maintaining a good blood glucose level when they are, in fact, swinging wildly.
I would like your opinion on which glucose meter is best. My insurance will pay for one either from Abbot or Lifescan. I've gone online and I get mixed reviews on the One Touch Ultra and Freestyle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You need to use your own glucose meter and to religiously take blood samples until you get a handle on glucose control. This includes a few weeks of intense testing, to include baseline levels when you awake, before and after each meal, and two hours after each meal, along with a precise calorie count and diary of your food. Later on you can reduce the number of blood sticks. You can't eat like a "normal person".
An A1c tester is the most accurate test as it measures glucose over the past 2-3 months. Why? Quite simple, red blood cells live on average 2-3 months, excess glucose attaches to new RBC's and the A1c captures this. However, the A1c does not account for your daily individual readings like the One-Touch does.
Most important of all is making a lifestyle change - proper nutrition, maintaining normal body weight, and 30 minutes of daily physical exercise all helps to lower your glucose levels.
I was a little concerned when I started smelling the sweet fruity smell again on my breath. I immediately went to the pharmacy and bought a blood glucose test. I tested myself at 9:15PM and it read 81mg. I wasn't satisfied because I read on the web that it is a sympton of untreated diabetes. I tested again and it read 86mg. I felt a little better. I woke up the next morning and tested again and it read 88mg. For what I read, these readings are normal.
im not sure how accurate this info is. you should probably phone your doctor and see... i would suggest drinking orange juice and eating some fruit or a protein bar to keep your levels up. but again, please followup with your doctor as the info i have may be inaccurate. let me know how it goes, good luck to you my dear!
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