Do you need to wash your hands before taking a blood sugar test?

Using a portable blood glucose meter to monitor blood sugar does require attention to many details in order to get the "truth" about blood sugar. So, what problems will cause "illusion"?

drug
Some endogenous and exogenous drugs can interfere with blood glucose test results. When there are a large number of interfering substances in the blood, blood glucose values will deviate to a certain extent. Common interfering substances that may falsely increase blood glucose measurement values include other non-glucose carbohydrates, vitamin C, and high bilirubin. Common interfering substances that may falsely decrease blood glucose measurement values include high uric acid.

environment
pH value, temperature, humidity and altitude are all necessary conditions for the optimal working condition of the blood glucose meter. You need to read the instructions carefully to find out the environmental parameter requirements of the blood glucose meter you use. Blood glucose test strips must also be stored correctly as required.

operate
Correct operation is the guarantee of correct results. You mainly need to pay attention to the following points:

(1) Check the test paper
Before each test, you should check whether the test paper is "qualified", such as whether it has expired, whether the test paper barrel is tightly closed or whether the outer packaging of the single-piece test paper is damaged, whether the code displayed when the test paper is inserted is consistent with the code on the package, etc.

(2) Clean hands
If conditions permit, wash your hands (especially the blood collection site) with soap and warm water and dry them with a clean napkin or cotton ball. For example, the sugar patient in question has not washed his hands after eating grapes, which affects the monitoring results; if conditions do not allow it (such as when going out for exercise), you can use wet wipes to wipe your hands. Some foreign studies have found that when you cannot wash your hands, The second drop of blood test can reduce the interference of juice and other interference substances on the hands from affecting the test results.

(3) Collect blood correctly
After cleaning, let the arm where the blood collection site is located naturally hang down for a moment, then massage the blood collection site and use the appropriate blood collection scale to collect blood to ensure that a sufficient amount of blood sample is obtained. If the blood volume is not enough, it is better to prick again instead of forcefully squeezing to obtain a blood sample. , to prevent interstitial fluid from entering and diluting the blood sample, causing false low values.

If the test results feel suspicious, it is best to retest. If you still have questions, you should consult a medical professional or contact the blood glucose meter product manufacturer. We need to remind everyone that you must not change your current diabetes treatment plan before determining the cause and consulting a medical professional.