Many diabetics unnecessarily test blood sugar levels at home

Diabetes is a condition which is gripping many people across the globe due to unhealthy lifestyles. There might be promising medications for type 2 diabetes, but in recent times it was found that one in seven people in the U.S. with the condition might be needlessly testing their blood sugar levels at home many times a day. Experts have opined that people with type 2 diabetes need not have to test their blood at home if they have well controlled symptoms and do not take medications which can cause dangerously low blood sugar levels.

Blood sugar monitoring do not make any difference in the blood sugar levels but still many of them prick their fingers unnecessarily. Researchers in the current study examined data on more than 370,000 people who suffered with type 2 diabetes. Out of them almost 88,000 or about 23 percent had at least three insurance claims for test strips that were used to check blood sugar levels at home. It was found that more than half of the people testing blood sugar levels at home didn’t need to do it and this accounted for 14 percent of the total study population.

Dr. Kevin Platt the lead author at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor said, “Many type 2 diabetes patients not using insulin or other medications at risk of rapid changes in blood sugar levels are testing far more often then they need to be. This needless behavior causes unnecessary pokes, worry, and costs. More is not always better when it comes to medical care.” Type 2 diabetes is one of the common types of diseases and is linked to obesity and aging.

This happens when the body is not able to produce ample insulin to convert blood sugar in to energy. If this is left untreated, it can lead to kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness and even amputations.

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