Medical Encyclopedia
Non-diabetic, non-pregnant individuals maintain blood glucose within a very narrow range – between 60-100 mg/dl (3.3-6.4 mmol/L) in a morning fasting state.
After eating, a "normal" blood sugar reading is considered up to 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) 2 hours after eating.
High blood sugar, also called hyperglycemia may be a symptom of diabetes, and low blood sugar may be indicative of hypoglycemia.
Blood sugar, or, blood glucose
Glucose" is a form of sugar and so blood glucose is also often referred to as blood sugar. For the purpose of this definition we will use the term "blood glucose" but either term is generally considered acceptable.
Definition: Blood glucose (blood sugar) refers to sugar in the form of glucose which can be measured in the blood stream.
Glucose is the main energy or fuel for the body which is either obtained from food that is eaten and converted into glucose, or made by the liver. Glucose is carried through the bloodstream to provide energy to all of the body's living cells.
The body cannot make use of blood glucose without the presence of useable insulin. Without insulin, blood glucose levels will continue to rise and eventually the cells starve and the tissue break down.
All persons with the juvenile form of type 1 diabetes need to take insulin to live.
The concentration of glucose (sugar) in the blood is measured in :
- milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL) in the U.S.; or
- millimoles per liter (mmoles/L) in metric.
Since different countries use different units of measurement be sure to understand the different standards.
The conversion factor is approximately 18. Divide the U.S. value in mg/dL by 18 to get the metric value.
For example, in the U.S., a blood sugar reading of 100 mg/dL is about the same as 5.6 mmol/L which was found by simple division:
100 divided by 18 = 5.5555
To convert from metric to U.S. just multiply by 18!