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What are Diabetic Test Strips?
Diabetic blood glucose test strips or glucometer strips are used in testing blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Different factors such as medications, food or exercise can influence your blood sugar levels. Testing your blood sugar levels using a strip can help you know when to adjust your diabetic medications and diet. This will help you manage your condition better. The strips are disposable plastics strips which help patients with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. Controlling blood sugar levels is important because it can prevent the risk of serious diabetes complications like heart attack or stroke, blindness, nerve damage, kidney damage.
There are different types of glucometer strips that you can find in the market today. However, they all mostly work the same way. Most strips are used together with a glucometer. A blood glucose meter is a device that help people with diabetes monitor and read the values of their blood sugar levels. Typically, a diabetic strip is inserted inside a blood glucose monitor so that it can be used to test blood sugar levels. In case you do not know how to use a diabetes strip, your doctor will show you how to use it at home.
How to Use Glucometer Strips
A diabetic test strip is made of several layers which serve different purposes. The top layer of the strip acts as a small sponge that soaks up blood when placed on it using a lancet. The middle layer acts as a filter, which moves your blood to the center of reaction. At the bottom of the strip there is a gold coated circuit, which transfers electrons that are reacting to the glucometer for analysis. To use a strip, you will need to draw a blood sample from your fingertip using a very small, special needle known as lancet. The next step is to place the blood sample on the strip.
Usually, when a sample of blood is placed on the strip, gluconic acid is produced from the glucose in the blood. The diabetes strips will produce different level of current depending on the level of gluconic acid. The meter will use an algorithm to determine the blood sugar levels based on the level of current that is produced.