What are homemade blood sugar tests used for?
“Glycemic tests allow you to adapt your diet or lifestyle,” explains Dr.D Aris-Jilwan, and to alert his doctor before the onset of complications. This is the best way to understand his illness. “
Self-monitoring would also save money, argues Marc Aras, since “it would delay the onset of diabetic complications”. So even if the test strips are costly to society – they are reimbursed by private and public insurance plans – they would save money in the long run. Without being able to quantify this saving, Marc Aras emphasizes that the complications of diabetes involve emergency room visits, hospitalizations, treatments such as dialysis, medication …
The already high cost of diabetes is steadily increasing. Over the past 10 years, the number of people with diabetes has almost doubled in Canada and now stands at 2.5 million. Thus, the costs will likely rise to $ 12.2 billion in 2010, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association. In Quebec, they should amount to $ 2 billion, according to Diabète Quebec, for 400,000 people diagnosed. Of these, 20% to 25% are treated with insulin.
Marie-Hélène Croisetière – PasseportSanté.net
1. To view the CADTH Report: www.cadth.ca/blood-glucose/reports [Consulté le 14 janvier 2010].
2. For more information on the position of the Canadian Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.ca.
3. Reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by 0.25% in those following follow-up.
4. The level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which should be less than 7%, gives an indication of the average level of sugar in a person’s blood over the past 3 months.
5. For guidelines from the International Diabetes Federation: www.idf.org.
