Is Your Blood Glucose Normal?

Did you know your blood glucose level plays a crucial role in maintaining your overall health?

Introduction

Risk factors aside, diabetes really can affect anyone at any age. This is why there is an urgent need to understand normal blood sugar levels for individuals of all age groups, especially children, adults, and pregnant women. Only then will you be in a position to grasp why deviations of any sort can be problematic. 
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Understanding Normal Blood Sugar Level

Your blood sugar level is basically a measure of the glucose concentration in your body. But what is this elusive &ldquo;normal&rdquo; range?<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>

<ul>
	<li>The normal fasting blood glucose is between 70 mg/dL and 100 mg/dL.</li>
	<li>A normal postprandial (random) blood sugar level is less than 140 mg/dL. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

However, these values may vary slightly depending on the specific demographic group.<a href="#accordion">[6][7]</a>

<ul>
	<li>For children under 6 years old, this range is 100-180 mg/dL before meals.</li>
	<li>For children aged 6-12 years old, the range is 90-180 mg/dL.</li>
	<li>For children aged 13-19, the range is 90-130 mg/dL.</li>
	<li>According to research, it takes 15-20 minutes longer to reach peak postprandial blood glucose levels compared to non-pregnant women.</li>
</ul>

The American Diabetes Association recommendations during pregnancy are 95 mg/dL or less (fasting) and 120 mg/dL or less (random). 
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Monitoring blood sugar levels is crucial for several reasons.

<ul>
	<li>It allows for the early detection of abnormal glucose levels, enabling timely intervention to prevent complications, such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, which can have serious health implications.</li>
	<li>It helps maintain these levels in children to support their growth and development.</li>
	<li>A significant percentage of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have poorly controlled blood glucose levels.<a href="#accordion">[4]</a>Therefore, monitoring helps make informed decisions about physical activity, food, and medications to meet glucose targets.</li>
	<li>For pregnant women, the prevalence of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is reportedly 70.8%.<a href="#accordion">[5]</a></li>
</ul>

This is because gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses specific challenges, including an increased likelihood of spontaneous abortions.<a href="#accordion">[3]</a> Furthermore, high uric acid levels are prevalent in pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester.<a href="#accordion">[2]</a> 
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Conclusion

Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is crucial for individuals across all demographics, especially children and pregnant women. 
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Key Takeaways

<ul>
	<li>Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels is essential for your overall health and well-being.</li>
	<li>The normal fasting blood glucose is between 70 mg/dL and 100 mg/dL.</li>
	<li>A normal postprandial (random) blood sugar level is less than 140 mg/dL. </li>
</ul>

[1] (2019). Relation between katsaridaphobia and blood glucose level. Journal of Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 4(1).

[2] Haribaik, A., Bekti, H., & Posmaningsih, D. (2022). Uric acid levels in pregnant women. Muhammadiyah Medical Journal, 3(2), 53.

[3] Kanwal, A., Salam, A., & Bashir, A. (2021). Spontaneous abortions and gestational diabetes mellitus- a study from pakistan. Journal of Shalamar Medical & Dental College - JSHMDC, 2(2), 58-63.

[4] Mamo, Y., Bekele, F., Nigussie, T., & Zewudie, A. (2019). Determinants of poor glycemic control among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in jimma university medical center, jimma zone, south west ethiopia: a case control study. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 19(1).

[5] Mansouri, D., Alawi, H., Barasyn, K., Bnnounh, M., Haddad, N., Al-Hafdey, D., … & Khayat, E. (2015). Self-monitoring of blood glucose among diabetic patients attending al-eskan primary health care center in makkah al-mukarramah city. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 4(4), 527

[6] Nigam, A., Varun, N., Sharma, S., Munjal, Y., & Prakash, A. (2019). Glycaemic profile in the second and third trimesters of normal pregnancy compared to non-pregnant adult females. Obstetric Medicine, 13(1), 30-36.

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