Fasting diabetics urged to monitor glucose levels at home

Home monitoring of blood glucose levels is considered to be one of the most important tasks for diabetics, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

“All fasting diabetics are advised to carry out home monitoring, whether during fasting or during the night time, to ensure the proper control of blood glucose levels,” urged Amani Ageenah, a health educator at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

“Home monitoring enables diabetics to identify the impact of insulin and meals on their blood glucose levels,” she said.

“It also identifies blood glucose levels at times when the patient feels they’ve a high or low blood glucose level.”

According to the health educator, during Ramadan, the timing and frequency of home analysis differs from one patient to another.

“In the first instance, diabetics should seek the advice of their doctor or health educator,” Ageenah said.

“But, as a rule, home analysis should be carried out before a meal and two hours after a meal to compare the analysis results with the targeted blood glucose levels as determined by the doctor.”

The acceptable limits of blood glucose level during the day should be more than 100 mg/dl and less than 200 mg/dl.

It should be 70 – 130 mg/dl before fasting and 80 -180 mg/dl. three hours after fasting.

Further, analysis of blood glucose level should be done at noon, before Iftar, three hours after Iftar, just before Suhour and two hours after Suhour.

Ageenah said diabetics face some complications during Ramadan which can be managed.

“Diabetics can be susceptible to hypoglycemia if Suhour is missed while taking sugar controlling medicines, or if too much physical effort is exerted during fasting,” she said.

“It’s important to maintain the daily quantity and quality of food prescribed by the attending nutritional therapist,” she suggested.

Diabetics must have two basic meals — Iftar and Suhour — in addition to a light third meal in between. Suhour should be delayed up to pre-dawn time.

They must continue the usual daily activities, but rest during the afternoon. They should also drink large quantities of water after Iftar to compensate for the fasting period.

In cases of hypoglycemia, fasting should be immediately stopped and sugary food eaten, even if it is a short time before Iftar.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com