Details - Public Health Image Library(PHIL)

ID#:

13714

Caption:

The man pictured here, was about to check his blood glucose level. This process is known as self-monitoring blood glucose, and it is a way for people with diabetes to find out how much glucose is in their blood. A drop of blood from the fingertip is placed on a special coated strip of paper, revealing the amount of glucose in the blood. Many people use an electronic meter to get this reading. This patient looked happy at the test result posted on the electronic glucose meter. His reading would be considered normal if before a meal, it read 70–130 mg/dl (5.0–7.2 mmol/l), and after eating, it read <180 mg/dl (<10.0 mmol/l).