37
cose level from a finger stick can be up to 70 mg/dL(3.9 mmol/L)
higher than blood drawn from a vein (venous sample) used for a
lab test.
*
5
Therefore, it is best to fast for eight hours before doing comparison
tests. Factors such as the amount of red blood cells in the blood (a
high or low hematocrit) or the loss of body fluid (severe dehydration)
may also cause a meter result to differ from a laboratory result.
*4: Surwit, R.S., and Feinglos, M.N.: Diabetes Forecast (1988), April, 49-51.
*5: Sacks, D.B.: “Carbohydrates. “ Burtis, C.A., and Ashwood, E.R.( ed.),
Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders
Company (1994), 959.
