Diabetes is diagnosed by means of a blood test measuring blood sugar and is administered by a physician or health care provider. Blood glucose levels vary with food intake, so the timing of this test in relation to meals is important. To help ensure that blood glucose readings are as accurate as possible, the test is classified in the following manner:

• a casual plasma glucose means the measurement is taken without regard to the time of the last meal;
• a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) means the blood sugar measurement is taken when the person has not eaten for at least eight hours;
• the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) means that the person fasts for at least eight hours, is then given a 75 g glucose load, and the blood sugars are measured at one- and/or two-hour intervals after the load.

Glucose meters help people with diabetes check their blood sugar. Blood glucose meters measure the amount of glucose in the blood and serve as an aid in monitoring the effectiveness of diabetes management at home or in a clinical setting. Checking blood glucose is a critical step in managing diabetes. Frequent testing and good record keeping give people the most accurate picture of diabetes control.

Glucose meters must be reliable because if diabetes is not well-controlled, complications such as kidney failure, amputations, and blindness can occur.

What to look for when buying a Blood Glucose Meter

• Testing area: Some blood glucose meters allow you to test on your finger, forearm or palm.
• Sample size: (A blood glucose meter may need between .3 and 1.5 microliters of blood)
• Speed: Some blood glucose meters give results in 5 seconds.
• Ease of Use
• Before and after mean averages: Some blood glucose meters can give you a before and after meal averages.
• Suitability for use by children under ten years old: Young kids may have a hard time opening foil-wrapped strips and often forget to write down the results. Meters that require smaller blood volumes are more suitable for young kids than meters that require larger blood volumes. .
• Suitability for use by children over ten years old: Older kids can take on the foil-wrapped strips and meters that require more blood. Meters lacking a data port require the user to write everything down, which some people forget.

Regardless of the blood glucose meter that you decide to use, you should have to pay almost nothing for it. Manufacturers often discount the meters. Always compare prices and features before you buy.

Safety Precautions

• Do not drop the meter (dropping, especially in water can lead to misinterpretations of glucose test results and dosage errors in insulin or in oral medication)
• Avoid jarring the meter
• Be careful when changing the meter’s day and time (be careful not to accidently change a unit of measure when changing the date and time)

Make every effort to keep your blood sugar levels within a normal or near-normal range to slow the progression of your complication and reduce your risk for developing others. Eat a diet that spreads carbohydrate throughout the day, get regular physical exercise, and take your prescribed oral diabetes medication or insulin.

You can prevent or delay the development of complications from type 2 diabetes by keeping your blood sugar levels within a normal or near-normal range (tight control). Scientific evidence shows that tightly controlling blood sugar levels:

• Prevents the development and progression of small blood vessel (microvascular) disease and nerve disease (neuropathy).
• Slightly reduces your risk for heart and large blood vessel (macrovascular) disease from diabetes.

If you are age 30 or older, talk to your health professional about taking a low-dose, or baby, aspirin daily to help prevent heart attack, stroke, or other large blood vessel disease (macrovascular disease). People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely than people who don’t have diabetes to die from heart and blood vessel diseases.

Prevention and early detection

To prevent and detect complications early:

• Don’t smoke. If you quit smoking, you will reduce your risk for developing early damage to the blood vessels caused by diabetes.  For information on how to quit smoking, see the topic Quitting Tobacco Use.
• Inspect your feet daily, wear properly fitted shoes, do not go barefoot or use home remedies, and have yearly foot examinations. If you have poor vision, have someone else examine your feet daily and help you with foot and toenail care. Keep pathways in your home clear of objects that could cause a fall.
• Report blurred vision, floaters, or flashes of light to your doctor immediately, and have yearly eye exams by an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
• Have yearly urine tests for protein. At the first sign of small amounts of protein (microalbuminuria), talk with your doctor about whether you can take a high blood pressure medication, such as an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotension II receptor blocker (ARB).
• Get effective treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. You may take an ACE inhibitor, ARB, or other medications to keep your blood pressure consistently below 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). You also may need to take cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins (for example, Lipitor, Zocor, or Pravachol) to reach your goals.
• Have yearly exams to test for touch and feeling sensations in your feet and legs and report any symptoms of digestive, sexual, or urinary problems or signs of hypoglycemia unawareness as soon as you notice them.