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measurement in Spain

M

mallorcaben

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi,
I use an LX Plus meter. I was happy to see my diabetes nurse uses the same meter but when I returned to her today with my completed log book I found that the measurement is different.
I did a test on mine and it read 7.2mmol/L. She did a test on hers with the same drop of blood and it read 123mg/dl

I live in Mallorca, Spain. I was surprised to see her using different measurement especially as she uses exactly the same meter as me.

I dont see a setting to change my meter so I guess I ave to use a conversion. What is the formula for this?

I knew America used a different unit of measurement but surprised to see Spain using a different one to England.
Why are there two, whats the difference.
thanks
 
your nurse's meter reading is in milligrammes per decilitre mg/dl
Your meter is in millimoles per millilitre.
Without getting too technical, think of it as like using yards and metres.
The preferred unit varies from country to country. Many countries other than the US use mg/dl/ (list on wiki if you're interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose_meter)

No new meters sold in the EU allow you to toggle between the two readings (you used to about 8 years ago but there were reported instances of people becoming confused so the EU regulated against it)

To change mg/dl to mmol/l you divide by 18
To change mmol/l to mg/dl you multiply by 18
or you use a converter like this one
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html
123mg/dl / 18 =6.8mmol/l


If you get lab blood tests in Spain check the unit carefully. Cholesterol might be in mg/dl (or even more confusing g/l as it is here in France but I think they are the only country I know that do that)
The conversion factor is not the same .
Heres one for cholesterol
http://www.onlineconversion.com/cholesterol.htm
 
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