Why Are Diabetic Meter Readings Like This

collectors said:

Hi, most places i go on the internet give you blood sugar in mg/dl "i think" yet if i use my blood testing meter is in some other language/reading like 5.6 "on a very good day" is this some type of american or other part of the world norm, or am i missing somthing.

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In the UK we use mmol/L.

I like mmol/L. The numbers look smaller

You can multiply a mmol/L reading by 18 to get a value in mg/dl.

Here's a handy tool to convert mmol/L(UK) to mg/to(USA)https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html

I always ask my DSN/Dietitian/Consultant/Doctor to convert them back to mmol/L for me.

collectors said:

Ok there are 2-3 types of reading/formulas for the same thing. But why don't the make most meters with both reading so you can choose or get both on the screen. Also when i go to my diabetic nurse she gives my blood results in mg/d which is always confusing when i am giving her my bloods over the last 6 months in mmol/L It just seems very odd to confuse everyone this way. As with the old adage "KISS" keep it simple stupid.
PS: Thanks for the simple convertor that works both ways,

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Just out of curiosity where are you?
If in the UK they wouldn't give you the results in mg/dl for simple finger prick blood tests, it would be in mmol/L which is what your meter displays in.
If in the US then mg/dl would be expected and really you want to set your meter to mg/dl to make it easier.

If it is the HbA1c result that they are giving you then it is neither mg/dl nor mmol/L, it is in fact mmol/mol (and I'm sure someone can link relevant graphs showing you what those numbers mean). Could it be this that your DN is referring to?

collectors said:

when i go to my diabetic nurse she gives my blood results in mg/d

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Assuming you are in the UK, this is very odd. Are you sure that this is what she is giving you? In the UK, finger prick readings are in mmol/L with numbers usually between 5 and 10, though can go up to high 20's on diagnosis. HbA1c results (the "average" reading taken from a drawn blood sample, so not the same thing as your home finger prick test) is in mmol/mol and will give numbers usually between the mid 30's to 60's depending on where you are in you diabetic journey. The two are measuring different things, which is why they are different!
Sally

First words I saw was "50 Shades" I thought blimey this site has changed LOL

derry60 said:

First words I saw was "50 Shades" I thought blimey this site has changed LOL

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now there's an idea....

collectors said:

Ok there are 2-3 types of reading/formulas for the same thing. But why don't the make most meters with both reading so you can choose or get both on the screen. Also when i go to my diabetic nurse she gives my blood results in mg/d which is always confusing when i am giving her my bloods over the last 6 months in mmol/L It just seems very odd to confuse everyone this way. As with the old adage "KISS" keep it simple stupid.
PS: Thanks for the simple convertor that works both ways,

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I see from your profile you live in Norfolk. Therefore none of the measurement units you will see are in mg/dl/. Your meter is correctly showing you mmol/l. I guess your nurse is giving you your HbA1c results, which are different again. This is the converter for converting HbA1c measurements to meter measurement. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

collectors said:

Hi, i'm in Norfolk UK. The readings are when i have a 9 monthly check up & give a larger type blood sample to be sent off to be analysed, then i go back a week later for results. This is when i get it in mg/dL

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That will be the HbA1c, and its not in mg/dl, its in mmol/mol.
If you look at the chart antje77 provided that'll show you what the numbers mean - the result you have been given will be the HbA1c(IFCC) one

collectors said:

Sorry & i don't wish to sound rude, but HbA1c, mg/dl, HbA1c(IFCC), mmol/L are quite likely acronyms with some sort of relative medical or scientific meaning that goes straight over my head, & i am sure many others.
You shouldn't have to have bamboozled with this type of thing. KISS, "Keep it simple silly" This is meant in general. .

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This is really curious. Just checked mine, all measurements mmol/L.

You couldn't upload a photo of that part of your results could you?

Unfortunately if you want to understand what the various readings mean you will have to find out what the medical terms refer to. I would suggest reading here is a good place to start....
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/Diabetes_and_blood_glucose.html

collectors said:

Sorry & i don't wish to sound rude, but HbA1c, mg/dl, HbA1c(IFCC), mmol/L are quite likely acronyms with some sort of relative medical or scientific meaning that goes straight over my head, & i am sure many others.
You shouldn't have to have bamboozled with this type of thing. KISS, "Keep it simple silly" This is meant in general. .

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All we really need to worry about are the actual numbers. My personal targets are to keep my HbA1c under 48, my home tests 4-7mmol.

But if you want to know what they all mean...

mmol/l (milli-moles per litre) is how our British meters measure blood sugar, again this is a sciencey term. A “mole” (mol for short) is a number based on the weight of a molecule of a substance, and is the universally recognised term (under the International System of Units) for an amount.* Mmol is short for milli-mole, which is a thousandth of a mole.

mg/dl is the American term, and is milligrams per decilitre - a milligram is a thousandth of a gram, and a decilitre is a tenth of a litre, ie 100cc - it’s a bit of an old fashioned term really, but I suppose it’s more up to date than grains per cubic inch

HbA1c** is a blood test that shows them the amount of glucose that has permanently welded itself to your red blood cells - as a cell lasts around three months, it’s regarded as an indicator of your levels over the last quarter. AKA the “lie detector” It used to be given as a percentage (and still is in America), but we have since switched to the newer IFCC system mentioned, which is a concentration (basically a more scientific term than a %). It’s measured in mmol/mol - milli-moles per mole - basically parts per thousand, I suppose. The percentage figures we used to use were too similar to the home meter readings we get and can cause confusion. For example, an HbA1c of 50 is roughly 7% under the old system - but this is an average of over 8mmol/l on your own meter - hence a lot of confusion and our adoption of the IFCC system. Makes the two types of test have completely different numbers.

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More sciencey bits, if you really want them!

* One mole of a chemical substance contains 6.02214076×10^23 molecules - so the bigger a molecule of something is, the more one mole of it weighs. This number is one of the universal constants, like gravity, and is called Avogadro’s Number.

**HbA1c is a measure of the beta-N-1-deoxy fructosyl component of hemoglobin. The origin of the naming derives from Hemoglobin type A being separated on cation exchange chromatography. The first fraction to separate, probably considered to be pure Hemoglobin A, was designated HbA0, the following fractions were designated HbA1a, HbA1b, and HbA1c, respective of their order of elution.



Hope that helps