Blood Sugar Basics: Terms You Should
Know ( coutecy;-webMD )
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Hypo-Gluco-What?
Start getting into the subject of blood sugar,
and you may feel like you're speaking another language! Here are some of the
most common words and phrases you might hear when you're talking to your doctor
about metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, or diabetes.
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Blood Glucose
Glucose is a kind of sugar that your cells use
for energy. Your body makes it from the food you eat and delivers it to your
cells through your blood. A "blood sugar" level -- or how much
glucose is in your blood -- is usually measured in milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL).
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Glucose Meter
A device that measures your blood sugar. First
you put a test strip in the meter. Then you prick your fingertip with a lancet,
a gizmo with a spring inside that pops a small needle out against your skin to
get a drop of blood. You touch the test strip to the blood, and your number
will show up on the display.
Read the directions for your model to make
sure you're using it right.
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Hyperglycemia and
Hypoglycemia
These are the doctors' way of saying your
blood sugar is high or low. (A good way to remember the difference is that
"O" sound is in both "hypo-" and "low.") Usually
hyperglycemia is over 160 mg/dL, but your doctor may have set a different
target for you. Sometimes people have high blood sugar in the very early
morning, called "dawn phenomenon." Hypoglycemia is usually less than
70 mg/dL; you could pass out if it's severe.
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Somogyi Effect
Also called the "rebound effect,"
it's when your blood glucose gets really high after it's been really low,
typically while you were sleeping. If it happens a lot, you might need to check
your blood sugar in the middle of the night. You can often prevent the Somogyi
effect by having a snack in the evening or adjusting your insulin.
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Pancreas
A gland about the size of your hand, just
below and behind your stomach. Groups of cells called islets (sometimes called
islets of Langerhans) make hormones and digestive juices that help you break
down and use food.
Its beta cells make insulin, and its alpha
cells make glucagon.
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Insulin
The hormone that helps your cells use glucose.
If your pancreas doesn't make any or can't make enough, you can take man-made
insulin. Types of insulin describe how fast and how long they work:
rapid-acting, regular or short-acting, intermediate-acting, and long-acting.
You may need more than one kind to control your blood sugar.
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Injection
How you get insulin into your body. One way is
a shot with a needle and syringe. The syringe has two parts: the tube where the
insulin goes, and the plunger, the part you push down. Insulin pens look a lot
like the pens you write with. You fill one with cartridges, dial up the dose,
and give the shot. Jet injectors use high pressure instead of a needle to push
the insulin through your skin in a burst.
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Insulin Pump
You wear or carry this device next to your
body. A thin tube connects it to a needle that goes just under your skin. The
pump gives a trickle of insulin all day long to help keep your blood glucose
steady. You can also program a dose of insulin at mealtime or when your blood
sugar is too high. It's more common for people with type 1 diabetes to use one,
but someone with type 2 might, too.
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Basal Insulin
Think of the word "base" to remember
what this is: a background insulin. It's not a kind of insulin, but rather a
reason for taking it. Also called "basal insulin replacement," it
helps keep your blood glucose steady between meals and overnight. People with
type 1 diabetes take a basal insulin because their pancreas is broken. People
with type 2 diabetes might or might not need it.
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Bolus Insulin
It sounds like "bonus," and that's
sort of what it is: insulin that someone with diabetes takes when they eat or
when they need to bring their blood glucose down. It might be a different kind
than their basal or background insulin. People who use insulin pumps get a
bolus infusion. A shot of insulin is a bolus injection.
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Glucagon
Another hormone your pancreas makes. It works
the opposite of insulin and raises your blood glucose. It also comes in a kit
for a low blood glucose emergency, in case you can't eat or drink to get your
blood sugar back up. If you've passed out or you're having a seizure, someone
else can give you a shot.
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Insulin Resistance
This is how doctors describe what happens when
your cells don't use insulin right, even if you have plenty of it. You usually
can't tell you have insulin resistance, but it leads to prediabetes and
diabetes because glucose can't get from your blood into your cells. It's linked
to obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Losing weight can help
turn it around.
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Prediabetes
Blood glucose that is higher than normal but
not high enough to be diabetes. It's also called impaired glucose tolerance and
impaired fasting glucose. If you have it, you're more likely to get type 2
diabetes. You can lower your chances by losing weight, being more active, or
taking a diabetes drug called metformin.
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Diabetes Mellitus
This is the disease that people usually mean
when they say "diabetes," when your body has trouble using or can't
use the glucose in your blood for energy. With type 1, your body's natural
defenses destroy the beta cells in your pancreas that make insulin. With type
2, your pancreas doesn't make enough insulin or your body can't use it well.
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Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women can get a kind of diabetes
mellitus that usually goes away after they give birth. Watching what you eat
and being active will help keep your blood sugar down and you and your baby
healthy. Some women also need to take insulin. Having gestational diabetes once
makes you more likely to get it again, as well as to develop type 2 diabetes
later.
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'Brittle' Diabetes
An older term for diabetes that's hard to
control because your blood glucose changes between high and low very quickly.
Sometimes this is called "labile" or unstable diabetes.
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Diabetes Insipidus
Problems in your pituitary gland or kidneys
cause this kind of diabetes. You'll have normal blood glucose, but you'll be
very thirsty, feel weak, and pee a lot.
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Diabetic Ketoacidosis
"DKA" is an emergency that happens
when you have a lot of glucose in your blood but very little insulin. To get
energy, your body breaks down fat instead, which makes ketones. If those build
up in your blood, you could go into a coma and die.
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Fasting Blood Glucose
Test
Your doctor checks your blood glucose after
you haven't eaten for 8 to 12 hours. This test is used to diagnose prediabetes
and diabetes. You may get one even if you already know you have diabetes, to
keep tabs on it.
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Oral Glucose Tolerance
Test
Another test that helps your doctor diagnose
prediabetes and diabetes. You don't eat anything the night before. To start the
test, your doctor will get a sample of your blood. Then you'll drink a sugary
drink, and she'll take a few more blood samples over the next 2 or 3 hours. The
results tell your doctor how your body uses glucose. Sometimes, the test is
called by its initials: OGTT.
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A1c
This test -- also called a hemoglobin A1c,
HbA1c, or glycohemoglobin test -- measures the "average" amount of
sugar in your blood over the past 2 to 3 months. It tells you how much glucose
has been sticking to your red blood cells. The result is a percentage, and the
number you want depends on your age and health. For example, an A1c at or below
7% can lower an adult's chances of getting more problems from the disease.
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Endocrinologist
A doctor that specializes in glands and in
hormones like insulin. If you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you're
having trouble managing it or you have complications because of it, or you use
an insulin pump, you may need to see an endocrinologist.
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Diabetes Educator
A health care professional who has the
knowledge and experience to teach and support someone with prediabetes or
diabetes to prevent or manage the condition. They can be doctors, nurses,
dietitians, mental health professionals, fitness professionals, or pharmacists.
The letters "CDE" after their name stand for "certified diabetes
educator" and mean they have met standards and passed a written test.
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Preprandial and
Postprandial
These are fancy ways to say "before
eating" and "after eating." They usually refer to testing your
blood sugar or the glucose reading when you did. Comparing the numbers helps to
see how your body reacts to food. Preprandial is just before a meal.
Postprandial is 1 to 2 hours afterward.
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Carbohydrate
Along with protein and fat, this is one
of three kinds of nutrients in your food. "Carbs," for short,
include sugars and starches. They're the main source of fuel for your body.
Healthy carbs are whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Unhealthy carbs are
foods with added sugars and few vitamins and minerals -- things like cookies,
soda, and candy.
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Carb Counting
A way of planning what to eat. You keep track
of the number (or grams) of carbohydrates in your food. Carb counting can help
your figure out how much insulin to take.
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Glycemic Index
Not all carbs are the same. This ranking
system helps you compare foods by how fast they'll raise blood glucose. Carbs
boost it quickly, while eating protein, fat, or fiber at the same time offsets
their effect. The glycemic load takes the serving size into account, too, to
give you a better idea of how your blood sugar will be affected.
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Exchange Lists
A meal-planning system that groups foods as
carbs, meat and meat alternatives, or fats. The idea is that you can switch out
specific serving sizes of different foods within the groups to get the same
basic nutrition.
This tool does not provide medical
advice. .
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