Posts Tagged ‘blood glucose levels’

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Noninsulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus is also popularly referred to as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. It is the most common form of this type of condition. In NIDDM, the pancreatic beta cells produce insulin. In fact, when the blood insulin level is measured, it might be found to be low, normal, or high. However, you will find abnormalities of insulin secretion in conjunction with abnormal responses to insulin at the cellular level.

If you have this sort of metabolic condition, you are not dependent upon exogenous insulin for survival, but may need its administration for optimal charge of hyperglycemia. It is unlikely that the patient will develop ketoacidosis except during unusual periods of stress, such as those caused by severe infections, trauma or surgery.

The presence of elevated blood glucose levels despite the normal levels of insulin indicates that the insulin is not working properly. This condition referred to as insulin resistance and is the major problem in Type 2 Diabetes. The following may be reasons why this problem occurs.

First of all, there may be a defect in the beta cell. You may don’t have the first phase of insulin release in response to the elevation in the blood sugar level. This defect leads to a prolonged rise in the glucose levels before this rise can be balanced by the effect of insulin. The prolonged blood sugar elevation serves as a constant stimulus to the secretion of insulin. This may lead to decrease the number of insulin receptors which ends up in insulin resistance.

It can also be due to the defect in the uptake of glucose by peripheral tissues. Insulin binds well to the receptor sites, yet the insulin effect is deficient. Thus, the metabolic defects can be found beyond the receptor in the metabolic pathway. Even in the absence of diabetes, obesity causes insulin resistance. This happens through receptor and post receptor defects. Take a look at more facts at http://diabetes-type-2.com/.

Essential Diabetes Information On Blood Glucose Monitoring

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Monitoring blood glucose makes it possible to determine whether normal blood glucose levels are being achieved. An adverse urine glucose test does not differentiate between a fasting blood glucose level of 155 mg/dL and a normal fasting worth of 100mg/dL, because both are usually below the renal threshold. Some who have higher thresholds may have even higher blood glucose levels no matter negative urine glucose tests. Furthermore, hypoglycemia can’t be detected with urine glucose testing. Thus, urine testing for glucose simply does not enable one to ascertain whether the blood glucose level is within or below normal limits. Blood sugar testing also avoids many of the other factors that compromise the worthiness and usefulness of urine testing.

With the emphasis on normalizing blood glucose levels in Diabetes Mellitus, there has been a concurrent emphasis on blood glucose testing. This technique can be performed in any setting and offers you the hope of excellent control for as much of the time as possible. It fosters a sense of control over the disease condition, contributing to your sense of well-being. It provides immediate feedback concerning the effects of changes in diet, exercise, and medication, thus serving as a powerful patient education tool.

A number of products are currently available for monitoring the level of blood sugar. All blood glucose test strips use a reagent pad that reacts with glucose. A small amount of the capillary blood is placed on the pad, which then changes color based on the amount of glucose that is present. Answers are available in about three minutes. The reacted strip could be visually compared to a color chart, or it may be placed in a meter that will appraise the color change and display a numerical value for that level of blood glucose.

In Type 1 Diabetes, the blood glucose level ideally should be measured before you eat and before the bedtime snack. A monitoring regimen should be established which is acceptable to the patient concerned. Monitoring ought to be performed when hypoglycemia is detected. This can be a very important diabetes information that you need to learn. Visit http://diabetes-info.org/ for very important facts.