Blood Glucose Monitors

The amount of blood glucose is one of the important indicators of our health. A blood glucose level below or above the normal range suggests several ailments. Often people who are diagnosed with Diabetes or other health conditions that call for maintaining a stable blood glucose level need to continuously monitor their blood glucose levels. For most of the patients who have to keep a check on their blood glucose levels, blood glucose monitors are very useful and can be used conveniently.

Although most of the blood glucose monitors require expert supervision, there are several options, which are relatively simple and can be used by common people with minimum or no supervision. There exist various types of blood glucose monitors that help to keep a check on the blood glucose levels. Here is all the information you need about blood glucose monitors.

What exactly is blood glucose and why is it important?

Blood glucose is the amount of glucose in the blood, which is the primary source of energy for all the cells in the body.

What is the normal prescribed range for blood glucose levels?

The normal range for blood glucose is 70-100 mg/dl. A range of 101-125 mg/dl for blood glucose indicates impaired fasting glucose. On the other hand blood glucose levels of 126 mg/dl and above indicate a risk of diabetes.

What happens if the normal blood glucose levels are not maintained?

In case a person’s blood glucose levels are way to high or too less than the normal prescribed blood glucose range, then it leads to conditions of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). On e of the most common disease related to persistent hyperglycemia and failure of blood sugar regulation is Diabetes mellitus.

What are the various blood glucose monitors that can be used to measure blood glucose levels ?

There are a number of ways to monitor the blood glucose levels. Some of the ways are easy, whereas others are complicated. Every patient needs to pick out a blood glucose monitor that suits his/her medical condition. Listed below are the types of blood glucose monitors:

Chemical Strips
The chemical strips are easy and economical blood glucose monitors. A drop of blood is taken from the fingertip and is placed on the chemically prepared blood glucose-testing strip. The chemicals in this strip react with the blood constituents and change color according the concentration of glucose. There is an explanatory chart, which helps to compare the color and interpret results accordingly. However, these monitors are usually recommended only for people who are not using insulin, or those who can't afford to use an electronic meter.

Electronic Blood Glucose Meters
A more expensive and accurate version is the electronic glucose meter. A blood glucose meter is nothing but an electronic device, which is used for accurate measurement of the blood glucose level. A drop of blood (which is relatively smaller than the one used in chemical strips) is placed on a disposable test strip that is linked with a digital meter. Within a matter of few seconds the blood glucose level is shown on the digital display.

Glucose Sensing Bio-Implants
The most advances devices, which are also very expensive and have to be surgically implanted. These bio-implants can be introduced by minor surgical implantation of the sensors. The longevity of these sensors ranges from one year to more than five years and differs from product to product.