What Is Blood Sugar Or Blood Glucose?
Blood sugar level also known as blood glucose level is the amount of sugar in a person’s blood. Blood sugar or glucose is a crucial unit of the body and serves as the primary source of energy. It is crucial to the normal functioning of varied tissues and most importantly the brain. Glucose levels are low in the morning before the first meal of the day and rise after having a meal.
The blood glucose level is tightly regulated to maintain a constant level in the body at all times. Continuous high levels of blood sugar are known as hyperglycaemia and low levels are referred to as hypoglycaemia. Diabetes is the result of persistent hyperglycaemia.
Why Do I Need it?
The main goal behind random blood sugar tests is to check random blood sugar levels. Having a random blood sugar range of 200mg/dl or more is a clear indication of the presence of diabetes mellitus. With the diagnosis of diabetes, random blood sugar test helps in the timely treatment of the disease through monitoring during and after the treatment. A doctor can prescribe RBS test if the person complains of the following symptoms;
- Unintended Weight loss
- Dehydration and dry mouth
- Slow healing of the wound
- Blurry vision
- Frequent urination
What Other Tests Might I Have Along With Random Blood Sugar Test?
High blood sugar is commonly associated with diabetes but, there can be other reasons too apart from diabetes for the high blood sugar range like; the overactive thyroid gland, inflammation of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer and several rare tumours. And as such, in some cases, the RBS test is not sufficient enough to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes and a person can be advised further testing like Oral Glucose – Tolerance Test, Fasting Blood Sugar, Two Hour Postprandial Test and Haemoglobin A1C Test.
How Is Random Blood Sugar Test Done?
The procedure for random blood sugar test is pretty simple and does not even require fasting, unlike the Fast Blood Glucose Test. RBS test involves drawing blood out from the veins by means of an injection. Apart from a tiny prick, not much discomfort is felt during the RBS test.
Preparations
No special preparation is required before having a random blood sugar test. Although, you do need to inform the doctor of any prior health condition or the intake of any steroid, as they too can be responsible for a high glucose levels.
What is glucose in urine test?
A glucose in urine test measures the amount of glucose in your urine. Glucose is a type of sugar. It is your body's main source of energy. A hormone called insulin helps move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. If too much glucose gets into the blood, the extra glucose will be eliminated through your urine. A urine glucose test can be used to help determine if blood glucose levels are too high, which may be a sign of diabetes.
Other names: urine sugar test; urine glucose test; glucosuria test
What is it used for?
A glucose in urine test may be part of a urinalysis, a test that measures different cells, chemicals, and other substances in your urine. Urinalysis is often included as part of a routine exam. Glucose in urine tests may also be used to screen for diabetes. However, a urine glucose test is not as accurate as a blood glucose test.
It may be ordered if blood glucose testing is difficult or not possible. Some people can't get blood drawn because their veins are too small or too scarred from repeated punctures. Other people avoid blood tests due to extreme anxiety or fear of needles.
Why do I need glucose in a urine test?
You may get glucose in a urine test as part of your regular checkup or if you have symptoms of diabetes and cannot take a blood glucose test. Symptoms of diabetes include:
- Increased thirst
- More frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
You may also need a urinalysis, which includes glucose in a urine test if you are pregnant. If high levels of glucose in urine are found, it may indicate gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy. Blood glucose testing can be used to confirm a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Most pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes with a blood glucose test, between their 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.
What happens during glucose in urine test?
Your health care provider will need to collect a sample of your urine. During your office visit, you will receive a container in which to collect the urine and special instructions to ensure the sample is sterile. These instructions are often referred to as the "clean catch method." The clean-catch method includes the following steps:
- Wash your hands.
- Clean your genital area with a cleansing pad. Men should wipe the tip of their penis. Women should open their labia and clean from front to back.
- Start to urinate into the toilet.
- Move the collection container under your urine stream.
- Collect at least an ounce or two of urine into the container, which should have markings to indicate the amount.
- Finish urinating into the toilet.
- Return the sample container as instructed by your health care provider.
Your health care provider may ask you to monitor your urine glucose at home with a test kit. He or she will provide you with either a kit or a recommendation of which kit to buy. Your urine glucose test kit will include instructions on how to perform the test and a package of strips for testing. Be sure to follow the kit instructions carefully, and talk to your health care provider if you have any questions.
Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
You don't need any special preparations for this test.
Are there any risks to the test?
There is no known risk of having glucose in urine tests.
