Comparing Your Meter Result to a Lab Result
A common question is how the blood sugar results on your meter compare to the lab results.
Your blood sugar can change quickly, especially after eating, taking medication, or physical
activity. If you test yourself in the morning and then go to the doctor's office for a blood sugar
test, your results will probably not match even if you are fasting. This is typically not a problem
with your meter; it just means that time has elapsed and your blood sugar has changed.
If you want to compare your meter result to the lab result, you must be fasting. Take your
meter to the doctor's office, and test yourself by fingerstick within five minutes of having blood
drawn from your arm by a healthcare professional. Keep in mind that the lab uses different
technology than the meter, and that blood glucose meters for self-testing generally read
somewhat lower than the lab result.
If you are fasting and you do a fingerstick test within five minutes of having your blood drawn,
here are the general guidelines to compare your meter result to the lab result:
•
If your blood sugar is below 75 mg/dL, your results generally should fall within ±15 mg/dL of
the lab result.
•
If your blood sugar is equal to or over 75 mg/dL, your results generally should fall within
±20 % of the lab result.
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