Glucose (sugar) in the blood is an essential indicator of the health of people living with diabetes. In fact, measuring blood glucose is the main way to ensure control of the condition.
With diabetes, your glucose levels can go up very high and some medicines to treat this condition can lower them more than normal, this is known as Hypoglycemia. A condition characterized by low (abnormal) blood glucose levels, usually less than 70 mg / dl.
Because of this, it is important to constantly check blood sugar levels and have good diabetes control, since, if hypoglycemia is not treated, it can cause seizures or lose consciousness (pass out or go into a coma).
People with diabetes may have heard or read a lot about blood glucose screening level. It helps to check the glucose level in blood.
What Does It Mean to Control Diabetes?
When you hear your doctors or other health professionals talk about “diabetes management,” they are often referring to keeping your blood sugar or glucose levels within healthy ranges.
Controlling diabetes is like doing a triple juggling act: the medications you take (insulin or pills), the food you eat, and the amount of exercise you do must be balanced or in sync with each other.
Your diabetes can get out of control if:
- Not taking diabetes medications as directed by your doctor
- You don’t exercise regularly or you exercise more or less than usual without changing your diabetes management plan
- Have contracted an illness or are under stress
- You don’t check your blood sugar levels often enough
What Can Happen If Diabetes Is Not Well Controlled?
Out of control blood sugar levels can lead to short-term health problems, such as hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, or diabetic ketoacidosis. In the long term, a lack of diabetes control can damage several vital organs, such as the heart, kidneys, and nerves.
This means that heart disease and stroke, vision and nervous system problems can affect people with diabetes.
These problems generally do not occur in children or adolescents who have had diabetes for only a few years, but they can occur in adults with diabetes.
Children and adolescents with diabetes who do not have good control of their blood sugar levels may enter puberty later than normal and may be shorter than they would have been if they had controlled their disease well.
The good news is that if you keep your blood sugar levels under control, you will be able to stay healthy and prevent health problems for the future.
Types of Blood Glucose Screening Tests
You can check your blood sugar in two ways. People who are testing or controlling their diabetes prick their finger with a glucometer to perform daily tests. Another method is to take blood.
Blood samples are commonly used to screen for diabetes. Your doctor will order a fasting blood sugar (ASA) test.
This test measures your blood sugar, or glycated hemoglobin, also called the hemoglobin A1C test. The results of this test reflect your blood sugar level over the past 90 days. The results will tell you if you have prediabetes or diabetes, and you can track how your diabetes is being treated.
Benefits of Glucose Screening Test
There are several benefits of glucose screening test that can help your doctor or physician in determining whether you have diabetes or not. Here are the top 7 benefits of glucose screening test
Benefit # 1: Stop Severe Diseases
Individuals with undetected type 2 diabetes are at high risk of developing stroke, fungal infections, eye problems, coronary heart disease, foot ulcers, peripheral vascular disease, and are more likely to have a baby with hypoglycemia. Early detection and timely treatment of diabetes reduces the severity of the disease and its complications.
Diabetes is often diagnosed only after complications develop, making treatment difficult. It is believed that glucose screening helps to identify about a third of all people with diabetes. Although no selective studies have been conducted, there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to demonstrate the benefits of early diagnosis by glucose screening asymptomatic individuals.
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of diabetes. Only a doctor, having assessed the clinical manifestations and / or predisposing factors, will send the patient for examination.
Benefit # 2: Keep an Eye on Blood Sugar Levels
Even if you don’t have diabetes, monitoring your blood sugar levels regularly is important. Diabetics who neglect their glucose levels are at risk for developing life-threatening health complications like nerve damage and heart disease.
But healthy individuals can suffer adverse effects as well, like elevated blood pressure and heart rate. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on glucose levels.
Benefit # 3: Lower Risk of Heart Attack & Stroke
If you have high blood sugar, it puts your heart at a greater risk of suffering a fatal heart attack or stroke. It’s extremely important to get glucose screening test if you are experiencing any of these symptoms:
- Blurred vision
- loss of sensation in feet or hands
- Numbness/tingling in arms/legs
- feeling lightheaded when standing up suddenly
Benefit # 4: Maintain Blood Pressure Levels
By improving your body’s ability to use insulin, you can reduce fat and increase muscle mass. This helps you keep a healthy blood pressure level while reducing your risk for heart disease.
Benefit # 5: Improve Insulin Sensitivity
When your body releases insulin, it helps transport glucose (sugar) into cells. If your cells are resistant to insulin, however, glucose can’t get in and builds up in your bloodstream. This is called hyperglycemia, which is what you experience after eating foods high in sugar and simple carbs.
Benefit # 6: Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk
High glucose levels are associated with type 2 diabetes, which is one of two leading causes of Alzheimer’s disease. One study published in Diabetes Care found that people who have pre-diabetes or diabetes are almost twice as likely to develop dementia as those without these conditions. The research also noted that people with more advanced glucose screening have a three times greater risk for Alzheimer’s than those with more normal blood sugar levels.
Benefit # 7: Keep Diabetes Away
Diabetes is a serious health problem. It makes our body resistant to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels that can cause many complications. If you’re concerned about developing diabetes, talk to your doctor about glucose screening test. This test checks your blood sugar level every hour for 24 hours and helps diagnose if you have diabetes or prediabetes conditions. It also gives us an idea of what lifestyle changes we need to make to stay healthy and live longer.
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