![]() Untreated, this can result in problems with the baby as well as the mother. Serum glucose levels are also an important part of monitoring the health of pregnant women since some women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. A serum glucose level is usually checked during a routine physical examination or may be performed specifically to screen for diabetes, especially when there is a strong family history of diabetes, or when an individual has other specific risk factors, such as being overweight. Other tests performed in this panel include electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, and carbon dioxide), as well as calcium, creatnine, and BUN (blood urea nitrogen). PurposeĪ serum glucose level is usually drawn as part of a larger metabolic panel or screen. Diabetics can also suffer from sudden drops in serum glucose levels if untreated, glucose deprivation can affect the organs and tissues of the body and may also be life-threatening. In diabetics, sudden, acute increases in the serum glucose level can result in the condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, in which the extremely high levels of blood glucose lead a life-threatening illness. Chronic high levels of serum glucose (which may occur in poorly controlled diabetes) can result in severe damage over time to the heart, the eyes, the kidneys, the circulatory system, and the nervous system. Diabetes causes abnormal perturbations of the serum glucose level. Diabetes can also occur when cells of the body become less responsive to the effects of insulin (this is often referred to as insulin-resistance, or type II diabetes). Diabetes occurs when the pancreas fails to produce normal amounts of insulin, or when it completely stops producing any insulin at all (this is often referred to as insulin-dependent or type I diabetes). Either of these conditions can result in organ failure, severe brain damage, coma, or death. High blood glucose is termed hyperglycemia low blood glucose is termed hypoglycemia. Glucagon prompts the liver to convert glycogen into glucose, thereby elevating the blood glucose back into a safe range.Ībnormal levels of blood glucose can be life-threatening. In response to this lowering of blood glucose, the pancreas secretes a different hormone, called glucagon. Between meals, or after heavy exertion, glucose levels may begin to drop below a safe threshold for the body’s cells (particular cells of the brain and nervous system). Under normal circumstances, the pancreas then secretes insulin, in an amount relative to the blood glucose elevation. When carbohydrates are metabolized after a meal, the blood glucose begins to rise. The blood levels of glucose and insulin are intimately related. ![]() Insulin functions to allow the transport of glucose into the cells of the body, as well as being involved in the body’s storage of excess glucose in the form of glycogen or triglycerides. Insulin is a hormone produced in and excreted by the pancreas. In order for glucose to enter the body’s cells, insulin must be present. It circulates throughout the body and is used by all of the body’s tissues and organs to generate the energy necessary for their normal functioning. Glucose is absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream. When carbohydrates are ingested, they are broken down in the intestines into component parts, including sugars such as glucose. The serum glucose or blood sugar level is a measurement of the amount of a particular form of simple sugar in the blood.
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