Signs of Diabetes

Alert on Certain Abbott Diabetes Care Blood Glucose Meters

Abbott Diabetes Care is warning about problems with some of the company’s blood glucose meters. These meters could accidentally be switched from one measurement unit to another, possibly causing the patient to misinterpret the glucose test results. The affected glucose meters include the FreeStyle®, FreeStyle Flash™, FreeStyle Tracker™, Precision Xtra™, MediSense® Sof-Tact™, and MediSense® Optium™. Abbott meters are also sold under private label brands such as ReliOn® Ultima, Rite Aid® and Kroger®.

These meters were originally designed to allow patients to see their test results in the units customarily used in their own country. To do that, the patient could switch between showing the results in two different measurement units: mg/dL, the standard used in the U.S., and mmol/L, which is used in many other countries.

The problem can occur if the measurement units switch without the patient realizing it. This can happen when the patient resets the date and time or changes the battery, or even if the meter is dropped or bumped. Then, if the patient just looked at the numbers without noticing the different units or the decimal point, he could incorrectly assume that his blood glucose level is too high or too low.

To help resolve the problem, all new Abbott meters now have the correct unit of measurement locked in place. Patients can continue to use the older units, but they should make sure that their meter displays the glucose test result in mg/dL. If patients don’t know how to change the measurement units, or if the units can’t be changed, they can contact Abbott Diabetes Care at 1-800-553-4105.

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Is there a diffrence in blood glucose levels from country to country?

I seem to have been rated down 4 times in an question that I answered yesterday in relation to diabetes where the blood glucose level was in the high 200′s. Maybe the levels are different for different countries. Is this the case? In Australia a normal blood suger is 4.5, not in the high 80′ to 90′s. Am I right or are other people making me out to be making up my information? The next answer to mine seems to on the same track as me.

Forget the ratings. They’re meaningless. Just point people to the BGL converter here: http://www.brist.plus.com/convert.htm

In the U.S. we use milligrams per deciliter. In the U.K. and Canada, they use millimoles per liter. They differ only by a factor of 18. Elsewhere, I have no idea.

U.S. norm fasting: 70 to 110 mg/dl
U.K. norm fasting: 3.9 to 6.1 mmol/l

Read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose_tolerance_test

Ignore those who are ignorant. I get that all the time.