How to choose a blood glucose meter

       In recent years, with the development of social economy and the improvement of living standards, the incidence and prevalence of diabetes have increased year by year. Long-term hyperglycemia can cause damage to a variety of organs, especially the eyes, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, nerves, etc., or lead to organ dysfunction or failure, resulting in disability or premature death. Although there is no effective cure for diabetes, the disease can be effectively controlled through five comprehensive treatment measures: nutrition therapy, exercise therapy, drug therapy, health education and blood sugar monitoring. Among them, self-monitoring of blood sugar in diabetic patients is particularly important and is the primary task of monitoring and controlling blood sugar.

        Any measures taken by diabetics to control their blood sugar (such as medication, diet control, insulin use), and the results of use must be understood by monitoring their blood sugar. Some patients use urine sugar test strips can not reflect the situation of low blood sugar, so it is necessary to have a blood glucose meter at home.

Type of blood glucose meter

Blood glucose meters work in two ways：

1. Photoelectric type：The blood sugar value is reflected by detecting the color change of the reagent strip during the reaction. The photoelectric blood glucose meter is similar to a CD machine, the detection head is exposed, the blood sample is built-in, and it is easy to pollute, affecting the test results, and the error range is large (±0.8). It is usually more accurate in the short term, and needs to be calibrated at the maintenance station after a period of use.

2. Electrode type：By measuring the number of electrons produced by the enzyme's reaction with glucose during the reaction, it is converted into a glucose concentration reading. The electrode type test principle is more scientific, the electrode port is hidden, can avoid contamination, the blood sample is not in direct contact with the machine, the accuracy is high (error range ±0.2), no calibration is required under normal use, and the life is long.

Blood collection method of blood glucose meter

There are also two kinds of blood glucose meters：

1. Blood-sucking blood glucose meter：Blood measurement can be controlled, there will be no deviation of the result due to the blood volume problem, easy to operate, use the test paper to point the blood drop.

2. Wipe blood glucose meter：Generally, the amount of blood collected is large, which is easy to increase the pain of patients. If too much blood is taken, the results of the test will be affected, and insufficient blood can cause the operation to fail and waste the test paper. The latest blood glucose meters have adopted the electrode principle and blood sucking.

Precautions for purchasing a blood glucose meter

1. Choose a glucose meter with good after-sales service and long-term supply of test paper to prevent the situation of "cooking without rice".

2. Different brands of blood glucose meter test paper can not be used, it is best to choose easy to buy, single-piece packaging test paper.

3. Make sure that it is easy to operate, and confirm that you can operate independently when purchasing. It is best to choose a glucose meter without buttons to simplify the operation.

4. The number of the blood glucose meter display should be easy to recognize, and it is best to choose a blood glucose meter that can report the measured value by voice.

5. The glucose meter should have a "memory" function in order to store the measured blood glucose value.

The majority of patients can choose blood glucose meters produced by regular manufacturers, reliable quality and good after-sales service according to the above working principles, blood collection methods and precautions. In the purchase process, please ask the sales staff to demonstrate the operation to ensure that they can operate independently before purchasing.

The importance of blood glucose monitoring

Through the blood glucose meter can timely understand the blood glucose changes of diabetic patients. Patients will monitor their blood sugar at least 5 times a day at the beginning of treatment and 2-4 times a day after reaching the treatment goal. For patients using oral medicine and lifestyle intervention, blood glucose should be monitored 2-4 times per week after reaching the blood glucose standard, and the method of drug use and diet should be adjusted in time.

Precautions for blood glucose collection

1. Wash and dry hands thoroughly.

2. Warm and massage your fingers to increase circulation.

3. Drop your arm briefly to allow blood to flow to your fingertips.

4. First, the thumb is pressed against the fingertip joint, and then the blood sample is collected on the finger side with the blood collection pen.

5. Do not squeeze repeatedly after blood collection to avoid mixing tissue fluid and causing deviation of test results.

6. If whole capillary blood is to be collected, the first drop of blood should be erased and the second drop of whole blood should be used for testing.