Next to the words "glycemic profile" there will definitely be another word - "diabetes". This does not mean at all that if you do not get sick with it, you do not need to read this article. The issue of the spread of diabetes around the world is more than serious, so awareness of the basic "diabetic" risks and factors is included in the package of knowledge necessary for a high quality of life.
Glycemic profile is not a roof, not a fence and not an analysis. This is a graph, more precisely - a curved line. Each point in it is the level of glucose at certain hours of the day. The line has never been and never will be straight: glycemia is a capricious lady, with a changing mood, her behavior must not only be monitored, but also fixed.
Sweet blood and the diabetic epidemic
It's no exaggeration to say about the worldwide epidemic of diabetes. The situation is catastrophic: diabetes is getting younger and becoming more aggressive. This is especially true for type 2 diabetes, which is associated with defects in both nutrition and lifestyle in general.
Glucose is one of the main players in human metabolism. It's like the oil and gas sector in the national economy - the main and universal source of energy for all metabolic processes. The level and efficient use of this "fuel" is controlled by insulin, which is produced in the pancreas. If the pancreas is compromised (which is what happens with diabetes), the results are devastating, from heart attacks and strokes to loss of vision.
Glycemia or blood glucose is the main indicator of the presence or absence of diabetes. The literal translation of the word "glycemia" is "sweet blood". It is one of the most important manageable variables in the human body. But it will be a mistake to take blood for sugar in the morning once and settle for it. One of the most objective studies is the glycemic profile - a "dynamic" technology for determining the level of glucose in the blood. Glycemia is a very variable indicator, and it depends primarily on nutrition.
How to take a glycemic profile?
If you act strictly according to the rules, the blood must be taken eight times, from morning to night portions. The first sampling - in the morning on an empty stomach, all subsequent - exactly 120 minutes after eating. Nightly portions of blood are taken at 12 o'clock at night and exactly three hours later. For those who do not have diabetes or are not receiving insulin treatment, there is a short glycemic profile analysis option: first sampling in the morning after sleep + three servings after breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Bloodtaken with a glucometer in compliance with the mandatory rules:
- Wash your hands with fragrance-free soap.
- Do not treat the skin with alcohol at the injection site.
- No creams or lotions on hands!
- Keep your hand warm, massage your finger before the injection.
The norm in analysis
If the blood sugar limits of a he althy person are 3, 3 - 6, 0 mmol / l, then the profile indicators are considered normal with different numbers:
- With a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, the daily norm of the glycemic profile is 10.1 mmol/L.
- With a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, morning glucose levels are no higher than 5.9 mmol/L and daily levels are no higher than 8.9 mmol/L.
Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed if fasting (after an 8-hour overnight fast) readings are equal to or greater than 7.0 mmol/L at least twice. If we are talking about glycemia after a meal or carbohydrate load, then in this case the critical level is equal to or greater than 11.0 mmol/L.
It is extremely important that glycemic norms can vary depending on age and some other factors (in older people, for example, slightly higher rates are acceptable), so the boundaries of the norm and pathology of the glycemic profile should be determined strictly individually only by a doctor endocrinologist. This advice should not be neglected: there are too serious decisions on the tactics and dosage of diabetes treatment on the scales. Every tenth share in the indicators can play a critical role in the futuredevelopment of the "sugar" life of man.
Sweet nuances
It is important to distinguish the glycemic profile from the so-called sugar curve (glucose tolerance test). The differences in these analyzes are fundamental. If the blood for the glycemic profile is taken at certain intervals on an empty stomach and after routine meals, then the sugar curve fixes the sugar content on an empty stomach and after a special "sweet" load. To do this, the patient, after taking the first blood sample, takes 75 grams of sugar (usually sweet tea).
Such analyzes are often called fasting. It is they, together with the sugar curve, that are the most significant in diagnosing diabetes. The glycemic profile is an extremely informative analysis for developing a treatment strategy, monitoring the dynamics of the disease at the stage when the diagnosis has already been made.
Who needs verification and when?
It should be remembered that prescribing an analysis for GP, as well as interpreting its results, only a doctor! This is done:
- At the initial form of glycemia, which is regulated by diet and without drugs - every month.
- When sugar is detected in the urine.
- When taking glycemic medication - every week.
- When taking insulin - shortened profile - every month.
- For type 1 diabetes, an individualized sampling schedule based on the clinical and biochemical landscape of the disease.
- Pregnant in some cases (see below).
Controlglycemia in pregnant women
Pregnant women may develop a special type of diabetes called gestational diabetes. Most often, such diabetes disappears after childbirth. But, unfortunately, there are more and more cases when gestational diabetes in pregnant women without proper control and treatment turns into type 2 diabetes. The main "culprit" is the placenta, which secretes hormones that are resistant to insulin. This hormonal power struggle is most pronounced at 28 to 36 weeks, during this period the glycemic profile is prescribed during pregnancy.
Sometimes, the blood or urine of pregnant women contains too much sugar. If these cases are isolated, you should not worry - this is the “dancing” physiology of pregnant women. If elevated glycemia or glycosuria (sugar in the urine) is observed more than twice and on an empty stomach, you can think about diabetes in pregnant women and prescribe an analysis for a glycemic profile. Without hesitation and immediately need to appoint such an analysis in cases:
- overweight or obese pregnant;
- diabetes in first line relatives;
- ovarian disease;
- pregnant age over 30.
Glucometers: requirements, features
Because you always need to take and measure with the same meter (they may have different calibrations), ease of use and accuracy of the tests are absolute and indispensable requirements. Additional benefits of glucometers when choosing:
- Memory (savingprevious data).
- Display size and compactness.
- The amount of drop of blood needed for analysis (the smaller the better).
