Here Is An Easy Explanation Of A Blood Sugar Chart

An Easy Explanation Of The Blood Sugar Chartby Carl Ringwall

Type 2 diabetes can creep up on you without you even knowing it. Watch for any of the following symptoms, if you see any of these, you should have your blood glucose level checked if:

-You have to urinate a lot

-You are thirsty all the time

-You lose weight unexpectedly

-You suffer from chronic tiredness or have blurry vision

If you have any of the above, you could have diabetes or pre diabetes, and it's time for a visit to your doctor to check your blood sugar. Some of tests your doctor may run would include:

-Hemoglobin A1-C (abbreviated as HbA1c) - sometimes called glycated hemoglobin, a common screening test that evaluates how your blood sugar has been over time.

-Fasting Blood Glucose (FPG)- a blood glucose test that is drawn eight hours after eating; some doctors call this a 'fasting sugar'.

-Oral Glucose Tolerance - you drink a bottle of measured glucose and then your blood is taken in hourly intervals to check the blood sugar levels over time.

All of the tests above will have to be ordered by your doctor; you can't do these with any home testing. The first test that is normally run is the fasting glucose, and then the other tests like the HbA1c and tolerance tests are run if the first test is abnormal.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may have an abnormal result for the fasting glucose, but the follow-up tests may be normal, as your blood sugar levels have not raised up enough to show up on every test.

Normal Blood Sugar Levels Chart

These are considered 'normal ranges' the three tests mentioned above:

Normal Values
-Hemoglobin A1C(%): Around 5-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): below 99
-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): below 139

Pre-diabetic Values
-Hemoglobin A1C(%) - 5.7-6.4-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 100-125
-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 140-199

Diabetic Values
-Hemoglobin A1C(%) - 6.5 or more-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 126 or more
-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 200 or more

Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2012.

Note that these numbers are not absolute; your health care provider will have to evaluate all your lab results and your clinical symptoms to determine your diagnosis.

Other important aspects to remember:

-If you are over 45, you should be tested for pre-diabetes.

-If you are obese and under 45, you should also best tested, particularly if you have any of the clinical symptoms mentioned above.

-If you take no action, pre-diabetes can develop into full Type 2 diabetes in 10 years.

-Pre-diabetes patients can avoid full Type 2 diabetes easily with subtle changes in diet and exercise.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with health. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her physician or other medical specialist.