The glucose blood level is the amount of sugar in the blood stream of a person. Glucose blood levels are also termed plasma glucose level. It is measured in miilmoles per litre and abbreviated as mmol/l
Generally the glucose blood levels stay within the thin limits in the whole day. This narrow limit is 4 – 8 mmol/l. These values are slightly higher after the meals but are generally lower in the mornings.
In the patients of diabetes these glucose blood limits move out of these set limits unless treated. Even if these levels are properly controlled, the glucose blood levels will tend to drift out of these limits at some specific times of the day; like early in the morning and two hours after big meals.
Why to control Glucose Blood Levels
Elevated blood glucose levels for a certain period of year leads to the damage of small vessels of blood. This increases the risk of developing diabetic related complications, these include
- Retinopathy (eye related problems)
- Nephropathy kidney related issue
- Neuropathy (damage to nerves)
- Cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, heart stroke, heart failure and hypertension)
Most of these problems are caused by the poor circulation of blood because of elevated glucose blood levels.
In the patients of type 1 diabetes these complications start to appear 10 to 15 years after the diagnosis of the problem.
These chronic complications generally start to appear 10 years after the onset of type 2 diabetes. Sometime it took years to diagnose the occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
The stable blood glucose level helps to reduce the risk of diabetes related complications.