Peripheral neuropathy is a general term that means nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system. This damage may occur due to some sort of trauma to the nerves or as a result of any of several disease processes. Peripheral neuropathy may occur in any one of several varieties, but the most common type, and the type most people think of when the name is mentioned is symmetric polyneuropathy which generally effects the feet and legs and is commonly seen in diabetic patients. The reason this type of peripheral neuropathy is so common is that while heart disease and hypertension rates are currently on the decline, the number of people who are diagnosed with diabetes each year continues to climb steadily each year.
How bad are high blood sugar numbers? For many people this question never comes up because their body metabolizes glucose correctly and high blood sugar isn’t a concern. This is easily understandable as most people never bother to care about things that don’t directly affect them. The concerning thing is that the number of diabetics diagnosed every day is growing and many of them choose not to be concerned about high blood sugar numbers despite the negative health effects that high blood sugar numbers can and will cause.
Blood sugar, or glucose, is used by every cell in the body as fuel. When we eat sugars or carbohydrates the body metabolizes them into glucose which circulates in the blood stream. As the body needs the glucose for fuel the brain signals the pancreas to release insulin, which is a hormone that is responsible for allowing the blood glucose to enter the cells and be used as fuel. In diabetics either the pancreas has ceased to produce insulin, or the cells of the body have become resistant to the action of insulin. While it may not sound too bad to have an extra amount of fuel circulating in the blood, the fact is that high blood sugar numbers mean that the glucose has built up to the point that it can begin to cause damage to the bodies systems.
Those with high blood sugar numbers must follow their prescribed treatment regimen as closely as possible in the effort to maintain their blood sugar numbers as close to normal as possible. High blood sugar numbers that are left untreated can cause heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, damage to the walls of blood vessels, glaucoma, blindness, coma, and even death. In order to live a long, healthy and normal life the diabetic should always strive to keep high blood sugar numbers from happening.
If you or someone you know has a family history of diabetes or has already been diagnosed with diabetes a normal fasting blood glucose is one of the most important things that can be had to control the detrimental health effects of the disease.
While glucose is important to the body because every cell in the body uses glucose for fuel, when glucose levels rise to the point where a normal fasting blood glucose cannot be maintained the high glucose levels can begin to damage nearly every body system. Most people are familiar enough with diabetic complications to know that highly elevated blood glucose can lead to heart and kidney problems, neuropathy, coma, and even death.
A normal fasting blood glucose is generally considered to be between 60 and 100 mg/dl, but of course this isn’t a hard and fast rule because it can be affected by age, weight, and underlying health conditions. Only a doctor can say for sure what your normal fasting blood glucose should be. Once this has been determined it is up to you as the patient to work with the doctor, keep track of your blood glucose levels, take your medications and follow dietary restrictions as prescribed. This is the only way to maintain your normal fasting blood glucose level as much as possible.
If you or someone you know begins to develop the three most common indicators of high glucose, which are increased thirst, increased appetite, and increased urination, it may be time to visit your doctor for a glucose tolerance test. This painless test involves ingesting a known quantity of a glucose solution then having your blood glucose checked periodically over what is generally a 2 hour period. In this way you will know if your body is able to maintain the normal fasting blood glucose.
When it comes to managing diabetes effectively the key is proper glucose management, and the best way to check the efficiency of the patient’s glucose management regimen is with the hemoglobin a1c test. Most diabetics are familiar with checking their blood sugar by glucometer, sometimes many times daily.
So How Does the Hemoglobin A1C Test Work?
The glucometer measures the level of glucose in a drop of blood which is placed on a test strip and read by the machine. The hemoglobin a1c is also a blood test which measures the average glucose levels over a long term period.
Hemoglobin is a protein based, iron containing component in red blood cells that is primarily responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs and transferring it around the body to be used by the cells. Glucose also binds to some hemoglobin and stays bound to it for the length of the life of the red blood cells which is about 120 days.
The hemoglobin a1c test measures the amount of glucose bound to the red blood cells in this manner and therefore can give the physician a very good average of the patient’s average blood glucose level for as far back as the previous three to four months.
Since proper management of glucose levels is key to diabetes treatment and glucose levels should be kept as close to normal as possible twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, day and night, the hemoglobin a1c test is an invaluable aid.
People without diabetes have and A1C of less than 6 per cent. An A1C of more than 8 per cent suggests persistently elevated glucose levels.
You should aim to keep your A1C as low as possible, especially if you are young, but also to reduce your risk of hypoglycaemia. Your own targets should take into account your age, lifestyle, work practices, life expectancy, risk of diabetes complications and side effects and a host of other factors.
The diabetic patient may check their sugar many times daily, but only the hemoglobin a1c test can give and average which includes round the clock glucose levels.
Diabetes Maintenance with Hemoglobin A1C Test
By using the hemoglobin a1c test the patient and physician can work together to make the type of medication, diet, and lifestyle changes which will keep the patient’s blood glucose level as normal as possible, as much as possible.
Managing your glucose levels requires teamwork in which you are the central player. The best way to stay in control is to harness the support of your diabetes care team. Involve your whole family and work mates as a team to optimize your diet, organise activities and improve everyone’s health!
Not long ago people would laugh and call you a wimp or a worrier if you mentioned that you were concerned with normal glucose levels. of course you may first have to explain what a glucose level was. In those days people got up to a full breakfast of eggs, gravy, biscuits, and bacon so loaded with cholesterol that they should have been able to hear their arteries hardening and it was not uncommon for a person to be dead of heart attack or stroke before they reached the ripe old age of fifty. Nowadays, due to advancements in medical science and more knowledge about proper nutrition death and disability rates from heart attack, stroke, and cancer are on the decrease, but diabetes rates continue to rise making maintaining normal glucose levels ever more important for an ever growing number of people.
Hemoglobin is a protein based, iron containing component in red blood cells that is primarily responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs and transferring it around the body to be used by the cells. Glucose also binds to some hemoglobin and stays bound to it for the length of the life of the red blood cells which is about 120 days.
