Is FBS Value Of 85-95 A Cause For Concern?

Posted on Thu, 2 Jun 2016

Question: My mother is 83 years old and is pre-diabetic. She does NOT take medication but I monitor her blood sugar. Normally, her blood sugar is between 89 - 95 in the morning before breakfast. Today it is 115 and she is very tired. No energy at all. Is that considered a big jump? Should I be alarmed? Should I phone her doctor or just give her water to see if she starts to perk up.

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (31 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Not to worry about the glucose reading

Detailed Answer:
A morning before breakfast glucose value of 115 is not at all alarming. It cannot cause the symptoms she is experiencing.

So nothing needs to be done about it right away.

When I see someone like you in my practice, I typically order the following blood tests in addition to a detailed physical examination:

CBC (Complete Blood Count, also known as Hemogram; includes Hemoglobin, WBC and Platelet counts)
Electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium in particular)
HbA1c (Glycosylated Hemoglobin = your 3 month glucose average)
Liver function tests (SGOT , SGPT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Alkaline Phosphatase)
Kidney function tests (BUN, Creatinine)
TSH
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
None of these tests require any fasting and can be done at any time of the day

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar