Question

My grandfather is having trouble getting blood from his fingers to test his blood sugar levels. What alternative ways are there of testing for this?

Answer

For many years the cornerstone of monitoring diabetic control was to test the urine and it is only recently that the home measurement of blood glucose has been introduced, because it allows much closer control of the blood sugar. There are a number of ways of reading blood sugar levels. In one, blood from a finger pricked with a sterile lance or pin, is collected on special filter paper, which changes colour depending on the amount of glucose in the blood. The colour can then be read against a chart, or if one finds that difficult, the filter paper can be put into a special meter. If you have such a meter and it is not simple enough to use, which is often the case, we would suggest you ask your physician for some other meter. As you say, some older people may also find it hard to get blood from the fingers and it can also be quite painful. It may be more helpful to use a spring loaded device which will prick the skin rather than a small lance, because it is always difficult to stab yourself.

However in somebody finding difficulty, for whatever reason, in monitoring the blood, the urine is still a very good way, and all that is necessary is that a fresh urine sample is tested with a strip on which there is an area which changes colour (like the blood test), depending on the amount of glucose in the urine. Of course, if there is no glucose in the urine then one does not know how low the blood glucose is but if your grandfather is OK and not having hypoglycaemic attacks, then his blood sugar is probably reasonably controlled. An occasional trace of glucose in the urine gives reassurance that his blood glucose is not slipping too low. Furthermore, periodic checks can be made on blood either from his fingers or from a vein, by a doctor or nurse.

Home blood glucose monitoring may be much more important in insulin dependent diabetics than in those not requiring insulin. It nevertheless provides the patient with an indication of fluctuations in their blood glucose and is a useful educational guide.

You can ask the Diabetic Association of your country for advice. For example, in Britain one would ask the British Diabetic Association and in America, the American Diabetic Association. These diabetic associations would of course be able to tell you precisely what is on the market and what would suit your needs best.

Links

• American Diabetes Association
• British Diabetic Organisation
• Diabetes latest information