Aviva Accu-Chek Performa machine
The Accu-Chek Performa machine is a finger-prick blood glucose monitoring system. It is designed to be used with the Accu-Chek Performa test strip to quantitatively measure glucose in fresh blood. It is used for monitoring glucose control. This device is not interchangeable with the Accu-Chek range and will only work with the Performa test strips. This in vitro testing device is suitable for people with diabetes and non-diabetic patients to monitor their glucose levels. It is not a diagnostic test for diabetes but an indicator based on results.
What can you find here?
Who is it for?
Your blood sugar levels show how much glucose you have in your blood. In diabetic people, these changes are more significant and happen more often than in people who don't have diabetes which is why they frequently monitor this. This helps them keep their range in check to ensure they don't have a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic attack.
Pre-diabetic patients are told to monitor their BGLs to ensure they are within the normal ranges; else, they may require pharmacological treatments.
What do the results mean?
If you're a child with Type 1 diabetes:
- before meals: 90-130 mg/dL
- after meals: your doctor will determine
If you're an adult with Type 1 diabetes:
- before meals: 80-130 mg/dL
- after meals: <180 mg/dL
If you have Type 2 diabetes:
- before meals: 80-130 mg/dL
- after meals: <180 mg/dL
If you have gestational diabetes:
- before meals: <95 mg/dL
- one hour after meals: 140 mg/dL
- If you can't test until 2 hours after a meal your result should be 120 mg/dL
How to manage low sugar
Any result below the range could suggest hypoglycemia, meaning there is not enough sugar in your blood. Symptoms could include sweating, tiredness, dizziness, feeling hungry, tingling lips, shaky or trembling and palpitations. You should take 15-20g of fast-acting carbohydrates to treat this.
Such as:
- 4 oz. of sugary cola or lemonade
- 4 oz. of fruit juice
- Five jelly baby-sized sweets
- 3-4 glucose tablets or 1 tube of glucose gel
Any result higher than the range could suggest poor glycemic control and hyperglycemia. This means that there is too much sugar in the blood. This should be treated early. Else it can lead to a state called diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a build-up of toxic ketones in your blood and urine which requires urgent treatment. This occurring long term can cause detrimental micro and macro-vascular problems, such as cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, kidney damage or kidney failure, and diabetic retinopathy, potentially leading to blindness and clouding of the usually transparent lens of your eye (cataract).
What can you find here?
