Researchers Stress Importance of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose

Patients who often struggle to get their blood sugar under control under medical supervision must always control their own blood sugar values if this leads to improvements in their treatment.

This is the view advocated by Michael Nauck of the Bad Lauterberg Diabetes Center and his coauthors in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[37]: 587-94), who discuss sensible approaches to blood glucose self-monitoring.

What is Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose
Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose (SMBG) is one of the greatest advancements in the management of Diabetes.

On the basis of their analysis, the authors make differentiated proposals for the cost-efficient self-monitoring of blood glucose in a manner appropriate to the patient's individual needs.

About 40% of patients with type 2 diabetes are treated with oral antidiabetic agents or dietetically. It is controversial whether regular glucose self-measurement can improve the patient's metabolic status.

In combination therapy with oral antidiabetic agents and the daily injection of low acting insulin, the drug dose must be consistently adapted. For these patients, it is recommended to measure fasting blood sugar twice weekly.

Diabetic Diet - Diabetes Mellitus
The diabetic diet most often recommended is high in dietary fiber (especially soluble fiber) and nutrients, but low in fat (especially saturated fat) and moderate in calories.

Conventional insulin therapy is suitable for about 10% of patients with type 2 diabetes. This uses a mixture of rapid and long acting insulin and provides metabolic control for up to 16 hours. Deviations in blood sugar do not have to be controlled. There have been a variety of different recommendations for the self-monitoring of blood sugar values in these patients.

Intensified insulin therapy is the standard treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. Its objective is that the metabolic status should be near normal, and it requires frequent blood glucose measurements.

Diabetes and Exercise
Regular exercise especially in type II diabetes not only helps reduce the sugar but also reduces the demand for medication by 20% and helps you stay healthy.

The authors recommend that an individual therapy regimen should be developed and implemented for each patient.

Gestational Diabetes About
The condition is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by the action of hormones produced during pregnancy that blocks the action of insulin.

Source-Eurekalert
RAS