Difference Between Mmol/l And Mg/dl
Both the units are standard units to measure glucose levels in the blood. Both provide a measurement of the sugar amounts in the blood, although in faintly diverse ways.
- mmol/L provides the molarity , while, mg/dL provides the concentration by the ratio of weight to volume, for example, milligrams per deciliter.
- mmol/L is the common way of measurement utilized in the United Kingdom , while mg/dL chiefly is utilized in the United States and continental Europe.
Blood sugar characteristically differs from 4 mmol/L to 6 mmol/L for individuals without diabetes. Blood glucose requires strict control in the human body to reduce the risk of complications from developing.
- Formula by which calculation of mmol/l from mg/dl can be done: mmol/l = mg/dl / 18
- Formula by which calculation of mg/dl from mmol/l can be done: mg/dl = 18 × mmol/l
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Do All Blood Glucose Assays Measure The Same Thing
The simple answer is, “No”.
Having said that,laboratory methods using plasma, essentially a homogeneous matrix,do generally agree quite well because the assay responds to theglucose dissolved in the entire volume of the sample and resultsare usually expressed in terms of concentration of glucose per unitvolume of plasma, e.g. in mmol/L.
For methods using whole blood,the situation is very different and partly depends on whether theblood sample is first hemolyzed or diluted in some way before themeasurement is performed.
Understanding this depends on theknowledge that red cells and plasma contain different amounts ofdissolved solids such as proteins and, hence, have differentproportions of water per unit volume, the water content of a volumeof red cells being lower than that of an equal volume of plasma.
Glucose is dissolved in the water of thespecimen and equilibrates freelybetween the red cells and plasma of a whole-blood specimen, so theconcentrations in plasma water and red-cell water are the same, butthe concentration in total red-cell contents is lower than inplasma and the concentration in a volume of whole blood liessomewhere in between, varying with the hematocrit of the specimen.
Consequently, the glucose concentration influencing theassay system will be determined by whether the assay responds tothe concentration in the water, in the plasma, in the red cells, ina mixture of plasma and red cells, or in a dilution of the bloodspecimen.
Can I Change The Units Given By My Blood Glucose Meter
This can depend on which blood glucose meter you have. Some meters allow you to change the units from mg/dL to mmol/L and vice versa whether some meters are only set up to display one set of units.
Check the meters manual for whether it is possible to change the units. If you dont have or cannot find the manual, contact the manufacturer.
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Fasting Blood Glucose Levels: 126 Mg/dl Or Higher
Fasting blood glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or higher are found in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Chronically high blood sugar levels can indicate that your body has a dysfunction with regulating glucose in the bloodstream.
A high fasting glucose reading can be a result of insulin resistance, genetics, low exercise levels, or a mix of several factors. Things like getting more exercise and finding the right eating plan for your health are just a few things that may help improve your levels.
However, to determine the causes and treatment options for your individual needs, you should consult a doctor or medical professional.
Comparing Glycemic Control With Continuous Versus Intermittent Measurement Of Blood Glucose
Comparison of the quality of glycemic control using continuous and intermittent measurement is a crucial first step in determining whether continuous glucose monitoring systems can provide tangible benefit to patients. As frequent knowledge of the blood glucose concentration has the potential to change a patient’s management, comparison of the glycemic control achieved with continuous versus intermittent monitoring must be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial with both groups of patients having a continuous monitor but the output from the continuous monitor masked in the control group where blood glucose is managed by intermittent monitoring. This will be the only way to accurately compare the relative effect of continuous versus intermittent monitoring on glycemic control.
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Blood Glucose Unit Converter
perinatology.com Please enable JavaScript to view all features on this site. Blood Sugar Value Units Conversion mg/dL mmol/L All calculations must be confirmed before use. The suggested results are not a substitute for clinical judgment. Neither Perinatology.com nor any other party involved in the preparation or publication of this site shall be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary b.prototype=a return new b},m ifm=Object.setPrototypeOf else,ca= trycatchn=!1}m=n?function:null} var da=m,p=this,ea=functionelse return”null” else ifreturn”object” return b},ha=function},ia=Date.now||function var ja=Array.prototype.forEacContinue reading > >
Blood Glucose Conversion Tables
Millimoles per liter or milligrams per deciliter? There are two different ways of measuring blood glucose levels: It can either be in terms of a molar concentration, measured in mmol/L or a mass concentration, measured in mg/dL. Most blood glucose meters are prefixed to measure in one or the other. This avoids accidental switching which could be fatal. However, you still have to be aware of the different measurement units: If information are listed in the units your meter does not support, you need to convert the values. mg/dL 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 mmol/L 0.6 0.8 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.4 4.7 5.0 mg/dl 95 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 mmol/L 5.3 5.6 6.1 6.7 7.2 7.8 8.3 8.9 9.4 10.0 10.5 11.1 11.7 12.2 12.8 13.3 13.9 mg/dL 260 270 280 290 300 325 350 375 400 425 450 475 500 525 550 575 600 mmol/L 14.4 15.0 15.5 16.1 16.7 18.0 19.4 20.8 22.2 23.6 25.0 26.4 27.8 29.1 30.5 31.9 33.3 mmol/L in mg/dL, conversion factor: 1 mmol/L = 18,018 mg/dL mmol/L 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.3 3.6 4 4.5 mg/dL 11 14 18 22 25 29 32 36 40 43 47 50 54 59 65 72 81 mmol/L 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 mg/dL 90 99 108 117 126 135 144 153 162 171 180 198 216 234 252 270 288 mmol/L 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 mg/dL 306 324 342 360 378 396 414 432 450 468 486 505 523 541 559 577 595 Hightlight productContinue reading > >
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Situations In Which Blood Glucose Assays Are Performed
In the hospital laboratory, it is usual to performglucose assays on plasma or serum, as routine venepuncture and theavailability of centrifuges usually mean that sufficient plasma canbe harvested for assay on the main laboratory analyzer.
In othersituations, such as intensive care units or special care babyunits, it is less convenient to use plasma, either because of lackof centrifuge facilities or owing to small sample volume.
Undersuch circumstances, it is preferable to be able to present wholeblood to the analytical system, as it is in a third type ofscenario, where the patient performs the assay himself.
Principles And Problems Of Blood Glucose Measurement
Although blood glucose measurement is commonly performed, the use of a whole-blood sample introduces complications and compromise in terms of the assay principle, the method of calibration and the expression of results.
Most point-of-care systems are calibrated against a method chosen by the manufacturer for reference purposes and assumptions are made, not necessarily valid ones, that blood samples from different individuals will behave similarly in both the reference and point-of-care methods.
While most conventional laboratory techniques measure blood glucose as concentration in plasma or whole blood, direct-reading electrode systems measure it as molality in mmol/kg water, which is numerically greater, but results are often factorized and expressed, e.g. as plasma glucose concentration.
However, there is inconsistency and the variety of techniques and principles leads to some difficulty in comparing results of blood glucose measurements by different methods.
It has been proposed that some uncertainty could be eliminated by expressing all results as plasma glucose concentration, irrespective of specimen type or analytical method used.
Variation in blood sampling site can also introduce errors, especially in point-of-care testing.
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Why Are Blood Glucose Levels Significant
Blood sugar measurement and understanding what the sugar levels must be is an important part of diabetes management for lots of diabetics these days. Blood glucose level is nothing but the total amount of sugar circulating in the bloodstream. Various parts of the world have diverse units for measuring blood sugar levels as their standards.
How To Test For Blood Glucose
Blood glucose can be tested a few waysâââusing glucometer, continuous glucose monitoring and a fasting plasma glucose test. Glucometers and CGMs are easy to use home tests that can be used at any time point to monitor blood glucose level.
To use a glucometer, a small drop of blood is drawn using a small, sharp needle , and applied to a test strip . The glucometer will calculate blood glucose measurement in about 10â20 seconds.
A CGM is inserted under the skin and measures interstitial glucose continually for about 14 days. The time delay between interstitial glucose and blood glucose is approximately 9 minutes, ie. CGM measurement at a single time point will reflect true blood glucose levels around 9 minutes earlier.
A fasting plasma glucose test is carried out by your doctor who will draw a sample of blood, after at least 8 hours fasting. The blood sample is sent to a lab for analysis and your results will be reported by your surgery. This is normally done as a routine check-up or to diagnose diabetes.
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Ways To Help Manage Your Numbers
A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers
Popularly attributed to Plato philosopher and mathematician from Classical Greece
All well and good but when it comes to managing your diabetes, numbers are important alongside knowledge about the condition. Interpreting the different numbers can be confusing, as shown by the number of calls we receive on the Abbott Diabetes Care UK Careline about this issue. To help you get to grips with this, weve highlighted some of the main areas of confusion below together with links to useful tools which may help:
New HbA1c measurement
From 1st October 2011 results for the HbA1c test have been stated in millimoles per mole . This follows the recommendation by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry to ensure worldwide consistency. The results were previously given as a percentage . As a transition measure to assist both healthcare professionals and patients to become accustomed to the new format, results were given in both units of measure from 1st June 2009 until 1st October 2011 as explained above.
When youre used to receiving a result in a particular way, you can immediately visualise how well you are managing your diabetes. The tighter your blood glucose control, the lower your chance of developing complications. It is important any changes do not adversely affect the way you and your healthcare professional agree to manage your condition and treatment.
Blood glucose monitoring versus HbA1c test
Why Might A Blood Glucose Meter Become Inaccurate
Blood glucose meters may malfunction and become inaccurate should they be dirty, ageing or if they become too hot or damp. Furthermore, if the strips are outdated they can lead to inaccurate results. Meters should be cleaned regularly, and taken care of like any other electronic device.
- Read more about factors which can affect blood glucose accuracy
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Why Measure Blood Glucose
- It can be used as a screening tool for diabetes mellitus .
- It is an important tool in the assessment of the unwell patient, especially in the young or old.
- Potentially life-threatening extremes of blood glucose can be detected to enable the patient, carer or health worker to respond to high and low blood glucose by adjusting the diet or using insulin.
Diabetes Calculators & Tools
Weve developed a series of diabetes tools and calculators to help people with diabetes to better understand their condition.
Understanding more about diabetes can help people to better manage their disease and achieve better blood glucose control. We hope these diabetes tools and diabetes calculators are of use to you.
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How Do I Keep My Blood Sugar Normal
To keep your blood sugar normal:
If you are concerned about your blood glucose level, please consult your physician as soon as possible.
Recommendations For Clinical Practice And For Conducting And Reporting Clinical Trials And Observational Studies
There was general consensus that the current International Standards Organization standard that was developed specifically for home-use meters is not appropriate for the measurement of the blood glucose concentration in critically ill patients and that sampling of capillary blood introduces unacceptable errors and uncertainty. The meeting also recognized that illness severity and case mix can vary greatly between individual units and countries, and that any recommendations should consider these factors. For example, it may be appropriate to target moderately tight glucose control in patients in a cardiac care unit but such patients would not have indwelling arterial catheters or central venous catheters.
Table 1 Summary of the recommendations
Choice of blood glucose analyzer in clinical research in critical care units:
Samples taken from arterial or central venous catheters should be analyzed in a central laboratory or blood gas analyzer. For most ICUs the delay associated with central laboratory analysis will be unacceptable and therefore a blood gas analyzer should be the default analyzer.
Only when capillary samples are taken from patients without invasive vascular monitoring is analysis using a glucose meter acceptable.
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How To Keep Blood Glucose Normal
To keep glucose levels in the normal limits:
- Consume healthily: Concentrate on fiber , complex carbs , healthy fats , as well as a rich source of protein .
- Dont eat too much: If a person is obese, he or she must lose the added kilos. Additional pointless fat is associated with diabetes risk, as fat tissue functions as an endocrine organ.
- Quit the habit of smoking.
- Maintain a good and sound sleep try sleeping at least 7 hours every night.
- Move a lot try not sitting longer than half an hour at once. Even a one-minute walking break can work for any person.
- Reduce the consumption of alcohol. Opt for dry red wine over beer, sweet wines, as well as colorful drinks.
- Understand how to manage stress levels as stress induces the production of hormones leading to high blood glucose levels.
- If a person has been diagnosed with prediabetes state, consider it a call to action. Its the final possibility for a person to escape diabetes in the future, and its achievable.
Summary
For diabetes treatment to work properly, a person should understand how to manage blood glucose levels. He or she can use a blood glucose calculator to learn about his or her current condition and perform self-management in an improved manner. Understanding blood glucose levels as well as utilizing a blood glucose calculator to track the extent of diabetes is fundamental. A vital part of diabetes management is to be familiar with the glucose concentration levels in the blood and its regulation effectively.
What Should My Blood Glucose Levels Be
Everybody is different, and everybody’s blood glucose management will be different, so it’s important to check with your doctor about the levels you should aim for. But, there are general blood glucose ranges that you can use as guidelines.
Blood glucose levels are measured in units called mmol/L . The ideal ranges are:
- Before meals: 4-7 mmol/L
- Two hours after meals: 8-9 mmol/L
- At bedtime: 6-10 mmol/L
You may need to consult your doctor and change your treatment plan if:
- Blood glucose is consistently lower than 4 mmol/L or higher than 10 mmol/L before meals
- Blood glucose is consistently lower than 6 mmol/L or higher than 12 mmol/L at bedtime
- Blood glucose goals may be modified for children and others who are at greater risk of hypoglycaemia
In the US, blood glucose levels are measured in mg/dl . Thats why youll occasionally read about blood glucose readings that seem very high, like 140 or 220. To convert the American scores back to mmol/L, just divide the number by 18.
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Before And After Exercise
Over the long term, exercise will deplete glycogen stores and improve insulin sensitivity. However, exercise can pose challenges with blood sugar control and result in dangerous fluctuations in hypo and hyperglycaemia.
You may have noticed that during or after exercise, there is a temporary rise in blood glucose. This is because exercise promotes acute stress and increases energy demand. As a result, hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released which signals the liver to dump glucose into the bloodstream. Your muscles use this glucose for energy to fuel exercise. If you are insulin resistant, it will take longer to clear this âdumpâ of glucose into the blood stream so you may notice a significant rise in blood glucose that remains elevated for some time. If you are taking medication, low blood glucose can also be a concern as muscles readily draw on stored and circulating glucose for energy.
Monitoring blood glucose before and after exercise will allow you to adjust your exercise regime and medication appropriately so that you can maintain blood glucose within a safe limit.