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Blood results

J

Jondoc

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I have been Type 2 for five years.Until recently my Lab results have been fine and no cause for concern.However since December my Finger prick results have gone up significantly.
My latest Laboratory test is showing 8.27 mmol/1 after fasting overnight.
Normally it is around 6-7.
Is this any cause for concern
 
Jondoc said:
I have been Type 2 for five years.Until recently my Lab results have been fine and no cause for concern.However since December my Finger prick results have gone up significantly.
My latest Laboratory test is showing 8.27 mmol/1 after fasting overnight.
Normally it is around 6-7.
Is this any cause for concern
Click to expand...
My meter can change by up to 2 mmol/L when I change to a new pak of strips. the whole pak raises (or lowers) my average readings by this amount, so it seems to be box related.

EDIT: comment is not relevant since OP is discussing Lab Test, not Home Test.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oldvatr said:
My meter can change by up to 2 mmol/L when I change to a new pak of strips. the whole pak raises (or lowers) my average readings by this amount, so it seems to be box related.

EDIT: comment is not relevant since OP is discussing Lab Test, not Home Test.
Click to expand...
OK lets try another explanation. The ISO standard that defines the accuracy that a home meter is expected to meet is currently +/- 20% of the laboratory test result. The Lab tester has to be within 10% of actual reading. The home meter on worst case lower limit of the 8.27 lab result works out at 6.6 mmol/L, so is technically valid. If you are comparing to previous lab results then if the previous lab result was 7.44 or less, then as a technicality something has shifted, and you have started a trend.

The other possibility is that until recently all home meters were calibrated for fingerpricking (i.e. whole blood) whereas now some but not all meters have been calibrated for what is termed plasma calibration. Depending on your meter type and age, it may be reading low by a factor of approx 1.1 compared to a Lab reading obtained from venous blood
 
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