A blood glucose test for many has long been a mandatory regular procedure. Some diseases require this, including diabetes. It is equally important to do a blood test for glucose during pregnancy. In some cases, a simple home study with a compact device is enough, but sometimes you have to register in a serious laboratory. Under such conditions, a complex glucose test is done. If the doctor recommended finding out the exact level of blood sugar, you do not need to delay it. Fortunately, the analysis itself requires very little time, it is almost painless and completely safe.
general information
Glucose is a simple organic compound, sugar, which is an indispensable source of energy for the human body. The carbohydrates that enter the digestive tract are converted under the influence of enzymes and other compounds into glucose and a number of specific simple substances, after which absorption processes begin in the small intestine, saturating the circulatory system with the necessary components. Glucose through the blood enters various tissues whose cells use the compound to produce energy. At the same time, the substance regulates cellular activity, since functioning is real only if a strictly defined level of concentration of the substance is observed. A glucose test allows you to evaluate the quality of the blood and understand what dangers are associated with the condition of the body.
The use of glucose in biochemical processes is due to the activity of the hormone insulin, normally produced by the pancreas. By means of the compound secreted by the organ, the movement of glucose in the body, the supply of energy to the cells in need of consumables, is regulated. If blood glucose is elevated (analysis helps to identify this fact), under the influence of insulin, energy reserves accumulate. Usually it is organized through triglycerides, glycogen. Accumulation is the area of responsibility of fat cells. True, this is true only in a situation where the processes in the body proceed normally. It must be understood that not only if blood glucose is increased (an analysis will tell about this), but also if the indicator is significantly lower than normal, this is associated with certain dangers for humans. Insulin, glucose are indispensable compounds for the normal functioning of the human body, the guarantee of which is the balanced content of these elements.
Process dynamics
Normally, immediately after a meal, the amount of glucose in the plasma blood components rises. The pancreas produces insulin in response to the process, and the values return to the average. The amount of insulin produced is determined by the composition, the volume of products received in the digestive system.
Sometimes the results of glucose tests show that the level after eating goes down abnormally fast. In a healthy person, this is observed after intense physical exertion or starvation, stretching for several hours. In this situation, the body produces glucagon. The pancreas is also responsible for this hormone. Its effect on the liver cells is as follows: glycogen is formatted into glucose, the concentration reaches a normal level. But so the process proceeds only in the body of a healthy person, when the liver and pancreas work in an adequate mode.
Why check?
Doctors recommend regularly taking a blood test for glucose (the norm in adults is on average 4-6 mmol / l), since the concentration of the component is important for human health. If a couple of the hormone and simple sugar are functioning normally, then the concentration of the component in question is stable, but if the balance is disturbed, a sharp increase in the amount of sugar is possible. Body systems can respond to such processes in different ways:
- activates the generation of insulin;
- glucose is excreted through the kidneys with urine.
When is it dangerous?
A biochemical blood test for glucose is usually prescribed for suspected excess or lack of simple sugar. Both of these conditions are dangerous, they can provoke a fatal outcome, since the functionality of systems and organs is violated. In some cases, an incorrect amount of glucose in the blood leads to severe brain damage or provokes a coma. A chronically elevated level (regular glucose testing will help to identify it) negatively affects the work:
- heart system;
- blood vessels;
- visual organs;
- kidney
- CNS and PNS.
The chronic form of glucose deficiency is dangerous for the NS, the human brain.
Some features
The norm in the analysis for glucose in women is not always observed during the period of gestation. The phenomenon is called gestational diabetes. In the absence of proper medical support for the body, this condition is associated with a risk of glucose deficiency in the blood plasma of the baby at birth. As can be seen from medical statistics, after childbirth in many, diabetes goes away by itself.
Analysis: Important Points
The doctor will tell you how to take a glucose test, writing out a referral for a laboratory examination. This event is carried out if there is a suspicion of an increased or insufficient concentration of simple sugar in the circulatory system. If diabetes is suspected, to constantly monitor the condition of patients with such a diagnosis, it is also necessary to regularly do specific laboratory examinations, monitor the change in indicators at home.
Donate blood:
- after ten hours of fasting;
- immediately after a meal;
- spontaneously.
Sometimes an event is organized as an element of the comprehensive oral GTT test.
When and how?
If you suspect diabetes, the study is performed on an empty stomach in the morning. It is additionally recommended to refine the results using a glucose tolerance test. To get enough information for the correct conclusions, it is necessary to conduct research twice - at different times.
During pregnancy, almost all expectant mothers are tested for the form of diabetes that is possible in such an “interesting” position. Identify temporary hyperglycemia in the period 24-28 weeks of gestation.
What to do?
If the norm is exceeded in the glucose analysis or the parameters are significantly lower, this condition remains constant, doctors decide on the diagnosis of the disease. When diabetes is detected, you will have to constantly monitor how high the level of glucose in the circulatory system is in order to maintain the internal organs with medicines. Prescribe special pills, the hormone insulin in the form of injections. As a rule, several times during the day they control how noticeable deviations from the norm are. Having formulated the diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe a memo to the patient regarding the norms acceptable for him, as well as indicate in which situations urgent medical attention is required. Not everything is determined only by generally accepted indicators: a lot depends on the characteristics of the organism of a particular person.
At home, the content of glucose in the circulatory system is usually checked with a special device designed for everyday use. Often it is equipped with test strips, although the most modern products work without them. A small drop of blood is needed to determine your sugar level. However, you need to understand that such products do not give such accuracy as laboratory tests, and the readings will be only for one parameter - sugar, while a specific study in the hospital will give a complete picture of the state of the blood.
Is it time to panic?
If a person was prescribed a sugar test, it seems to others that this is a serious cause for panic. This opinion is erroneous: the doctor recommends a check if there is a suspicion of a pathology. That is, there remains a chance that, based on the information received, the diagnosis will be the absence of diseases. Often, the analysis is carried out as part of preventive work with a wide population: at present, our country has a national program for the timely detection of dangerous, common diseases. The first symptoms of diabetes are rather mild, many do not pay attention to them, which became the basis for the introduction of such a large-scale program. It is believed that regular examination should be performed by all persons aged 45 years, as well as those who are overweight or who have a genetic predisposition to pathology.
Having received the decoding of the glucose test, you should not even try to independently determine whether there is a disease or not. Only a doctor can understand specific data. In addition, based on only one study, it is too early to draw conclusions: first you need to collect the necessary amount of statistical data and only then determine whether a person is sick and what exactly.
Symptomatology
You can suspect high blood sugar by the following symptoms:
- thirst;
- frequent urination;
- blurry vision;
- frequent infectious diseases.
The lower rate is indicated by:
- increased appetite;
- increased sweat generation;
- anxiety;
- blurry vision;
- sometimes muddy consciousness.
As soon as such symptoms began to bother, you should immediately consult a doctor and do a blood glucose test. When identifying a condition characterized by an increased likelihood of developing diabetes, a complex of preventive measures is prescribed and the frequency of tests is determined. The greater the deviation of the sugar concentration in the circulatory system from the norm, the more often repeated checks are carried out. Observe the regularity of diagnosis.
Some special cases
If doctors have identified diabetes, it is necessary to do not only a check for glucose concentration, but also an analysis for glycated hemoglobin. This will help to make a complete picture regarding the processes taking place in the body. The doctor will be able to evaluate how actively pathology is developing, to predict how the patient’s condition will change in the future, what measures should be taken to weaken the negative impact of pathology on human life.
Sometimes a sugar, insulin, C-peptide test is prescribed at the same time. The study allows us to understand how correctly insulin is produced . During pregnancy, a check will be organized near the end of the gestation period. If diabetes was detected during this period, each subsequent bearing of the fetus is associated with a constant blood test for sugar content, regardless of how many times a woman will give birth. In addition, it is necessary to control the level of glucose for some time after the birth of the baby.
Normative indicators
Dependence on age is observed. The average parameters are as follows (glucose level is indicated in mmol / l):
Under 14 years old | 3.3-5.6 |
14-60 years old | 4.1-5.9 |
After 60 | 4.6-6.4 |
During pregnancy | 4.1-5.1 |
Reasons for increased concentration
Often, an increase in blood glucose concentration is observed due to the following factors:
- stressful situations;
- acromegaly;
- failure of the functioning of the kidneys in chronic form;
- Itsenko – Cushing's syndrome;
- an overabundance of carbohydrate-rich foods;
- hyperthyroidism;
- pancreatitis
- pancreatic malignancies.
On the concentration of sugar, some medications taken by long courses have an effect:
- tricyclic antidepressants;
- corticosteroids;
- diuretics;
- estrogen;
- salicylates;
- epinephrins;
- lithium rich preparations;
- diphenin.
Reasons for lower sugar
This situation can lead to:
- alcohol addiction;
- liver pathology;
- an excess of insulin;
- prolonged abstinence from food;
- insulinoma;
- hypothyroidism;
- hypopituitarism.
Some specific medications have a certain effect - anabolics, steroids, acetaminophen.
How does this happen?
Biological material for laboratory research is obtained from a vein or from a finger. The specific option depends on the objectives of the study. When checking sugar levels at home, a finger sample is sufficient. In a laboratory study, the results are usually ready the same day or the next. In general, only non-carbonated water can be drunk before the test fluid is dispensed.