Diabetes is also called “Diabetes Mellitus” and is popularly known as DM in the medical fraternity. While healthcare professionals primarily focus on managing/reversing this illness rather than preventing it, it makes sense to understand the causes and how you can delay or prevent its entry into your life. Many folks believe that it is simply a hereditary ailment and they need not worry. While it is true that genetics does play a role, especially in type-2 and gestational DM, other factors also matter. It is, therefore, a good idea to have a handy glucose meter in the family for self-monitoring.
So, what are some of the factors that cause diabetes?
- Stress – Disturbs metabolism and, thereby, sugar build-up.
- Body Mass – Obesity can result in insulin resistance, leading to diabetes.
- Diet – Binge drinking, smoking, and eating unhealthy food create a perfect environment for diabetes.
Glucometers can make a huge difference, but what is more important is the accuracy of the resultant values.
The Crucial Role of Glucometer Accuracy
So, why is glucometer accuracy so important, and why are healthcare professionals concerned about it? At the very outset, you need to understand that “Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose”, or SMBG, has now become a standard practice. Affected individuals self-monitor their diabetes status to improve quality of life and reduce dependency on clinic/lab visits. It is this self-assessment that makes glucometer accuracy a big concern for doctors. Faulty or inaccurate readings can compromise your treatment/regime and even suggest insulin tweaks, which can be dangerous.
Understanding Blood Glucose Variability
Remember, SMBG is a severe task. Inaccuracies can result from device malfunction or, not following your doctor’s advice vis-à-vis diet/lifestyle changes or skipping medicines. This typically creates large variations in blood glucose readings. A glucose monitor provides instant blood sugar value and also critical markers such as standard deviation or SD and coefficient of variation or CV (which incidentally should be 33% or lower).
Impact on Diabetes Medication Dosages
GV or glycaemic variation resulting from inaccurate readings can lead to faulty treatments and tweaks. Earlier, A1C was considered a de facto reference to create a treatment plan for the affected individual. However, this method has its shortcomings, and one of them is its lack of responsiveness to GV or fluctuations in blood glucose levels occurring over shorter timelines (days and weeks instead of months). Creating a treatment regime based only on A1C can potentially lead to hypoglycaemia.
The Significance of Hypoglycaemia Detection
Glucometer inaccuracy due to faulty devices or compromised glucometer lancets can lead to improper diagnosis and, thereby, a faulty regime. It can send your diabetes recovery treatment into a tizzy. It can impact your blood sugar level negatively, leading to Hypoglycaemia. It is, therefore, crucial to conduct a regular lab test along with the A1C test. Depending only on self-monitoring can be risky, especially if your device malfunctions or you are unable to interpret the data correctly.
Identifying Trends and Patterns in Glucose Readings
Glucometers and CGMs provide intuitive and easy-to-interpret data. These are trends or patterns … signifying your blood glucose fluctuations over different timelines, which can span over a few hours, days, and even weeks. The idea is to understand how it impacts your targeted goals. If the deviations fall within the stipulated range, you know you are on the right regime/treatment plan. Glucometers are smart and, therefore, record even minor abnormalities. The visually appealing graphs make the task of interpretation a joy and not a chore.
Preventing Complications with Reliable Data
Remember, only the best glucometer helps you initiate self-monitoring, provides instant values, and also records deviations over multiple timelines. Real-time readings offer a window through which you can see the impact of your actions on your blood sugar levels. It simply means you can identify which food, exercise, and stress type results in spikes. You can also narrow down medicines that improve effectiveness in achieving your glycaemic goals. Reliable data can help you tweak your lifestyle and medication, thereby preventing short and long-term complications.
Accuracy and Decision-Making for Insulin Users
Insulin is mainly advised for type-1 and people with gestational diabetes (women). However, being a powerful hormone, its effect on blood sugar levels is quick and intense, and incorrect dosage can lead to hypoglycaemia. Therefore, most doctors recommend CGMs to insulin-dependent people with diabetes. On the other hand, certain type-2 people with diabetes also use insulin but monitor their diabetes values through regular glucometers. In such cases, interpreting the data correctly for an optimised insulin intake is extremely crucial. Informed decisions through intelligent rendering of data can go a long way in managing insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Read More: Glucometer Strips – Your Diabetes Management Companion
Glucometer Accuracy – Summing Up
Glucometer accuracy is one of the essential requirements for addressing “Diabetes Mellitus”. The subsequent events, such as medication, diet plan, and exercise, are typically based on the readings offered by “glucometer digital” devices. Misinterpretation due to human error or malfunction can lead to improper treatment, creating short- and long-term medical repercussions.
