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When doctors suggest that a patient undergo a sugar test, they have a specific goal – to find out what his blood glucose concentration is. The fact is that the level of glucose is designed to perform very important functions in the human body. Its main task is to provide energy to the cells of the human body. It is a kind of fuel for the body. The source of this organic compound is fruits, berries, honey, marmalade, beets, pumpkin and many other foods that people consume.
According to the level of glucose, a specialist will be able to diagnose various pathological processes that may occur in the human body. When a patient has a low level of an organic compound, then we can talk about diseases of the pancreas, liver, kidneys and adrenal cortex, hypothalamus.
The main reason that contributes to an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycemia) is the development of diabetes mellitus. Also, the presence of hyperglycemia can be determined in various endocrine diseases, dysfunction of the liver, kidneys and pancreas, active inflammatory processes in the body.
When the sugar level rises, the work of the pancreas becomes many times more active, because it needs to produce a certain amount of insulin, which will break down excess sugar. If insulin is not enough, then sugar begins to be deposited in the liver in the form of glycogen, on the walls of blood vessels and contributes to the accumulation of adipose tissue in the body. Each of the above pathologies has its own symptoms, and therefore only a specialized specialist can make a final diagnosis.
When to take a blood sugar test
First of all, the analysis is assigned to patients who feel constant fatigue, lethargy, who do not have the strength to engage in any physical activity. This state of the human body may indicate an insufficient amount of glucose. Often, such patients have sweating and unreasonable trembling throughout the body. Sometimes patients cannot eliminate feelings of anxiety or severe hunger on their own.
It should be noted that the main indication for a blood test for sugar is a suspicion of an increase or decrease in its level in the body.
What are blood sugar tests?
In medical practice, there are several ways to determine the level of sugar in the blood:
- Blood glucose test.
- Blood test for glycated hemoglobin.
- Glucose tolerance test.
How to take an analysis to determine the level of sugar?
Before you start preparing for the analysis, you must first decide on the methodology for its implementation, because each analysis has its own nuances.
In medical practice, an express method for determining the level of glucose in the blood is often used, which is carried out by a special device called a glucometer. To do this, a drop of blood is placed on the test strip, and after a few seconds the device shows the level of the organic compound. This analysis has the advantage of being fast, but it may not be very accurate. Patients with diabetes need to have such a device at home and, in poor condition, measure the level on their own in order to exclude sharp jumps in blood glucose.
If the patient needs more accurate indicators, then you can use a laboratory test.
To determine blood sugar, doctors take biological material from a patient’s finger or vein and send it to the laboratory for research. As a rule, the result is ready in a few hours.
What are the blood glucose levels?
Recall that this analysis allows you to clearly determine the level of glucose in the blood. Results may change with age and this is considered normal. Also, the level may vary depending on food intake and other features. For example, if you pass tests on an empty stomach, then the indicators will be the same, but if you pass immediately after eating, then they will be completely different. Therefore, doctors always prescribe a blood test on an empty stomach – in the morning.
For a person aged 25 – 40 years, normal values are from 3,2 to 5,5 mmol per liter of blood. The gender of the patient does not matter here, because the indicators of men and women are the same. The exception is women who are carrying a child. If the patient passed the analysis on an empty stomach, and his level is within these limits, then we can safely say that carbohydrate metabolism is not disturbed. In cases where the patient donates blood from a vein, the upper limits can increase to 6,2 mmol per liter of blood – this is considered the norm.
If a patient’s values exceed 7,0 mmol per liter of blood, then doctors diagnose diabetes, that is, a disease that is caused by improper absorption of carbohydrates.
To maintain a healthy blood glucose concentration, all people need to eat right. It is not for nothing that there is such an expression as “We are what we eat”. It is also worth paying attention to physical exercises in order to prevent the appearance of extra pounds. All doctors recommend swimming regularly, doing Pilates and aerobics, and walking.