regarding pp blood sugar test

by pralay
(berhampore,wb,india)




Quick Answer
Yes. For a routine two-hour postprandial blood sugar test, your mother would usually eat her normal meal, take her diabetes medicine as prescribed, and have the test two hours after the start of the meal. However, she should follow the laboratory or doctor’s specific instructions because a standardized oral glucose tolerance test is different.


Answer by Dr. Albana Greca, MD, MMedSc



Hi Pralay,



PP means postprandial, or after eating. If your mother was having the test to see how her usual meal and treatment affect her glucose, eating normally and taking her prescribed medicine was generally appropriate.



When Should the Two Hours Begin?



The usual timing is two hours after the first bite of the meal, not two hours after she finishes eating. The meal time, test time, food portion, and medicine should be recorded so that future results can be compared properly.



Our guide to blood sugar levels after eating explains why the exact timing changes how a result is interpreted.



Should She Take Her Diabetes Medicine?



For routine monitoring, she should normally take her medicine or insulin exactly as prescribed unless her doctor or laboratory told her otherwise. The purpose is often to see whether her usual treatment controls the rise in glucose after a normal meal.



She should not skip, delay, or double medicine simply to influence the test result. If she uses insulin, follow the timing in her personal insulin treatment plan.




Important: If the laboratory ordered a formal oral glucose tolerance test, she must follow its instructions. That test uses a measured glucose drink and is not the same as checking glucose after an ordinary meal.


What Result Is Usually Expected?



For many nonpregnant adults with diabetes, a common general target is below 180 mg/dL about one to two hours after the meal begins. This is a treatment target, not a diagnostic cutoff.



Because your mother is 66, her doctor may individualize the target according to diabetes duration, medicines, heart or kidney disease, and risk of low blood sugar. Compare her readings with our blood sugar level chart, but use the goal given by her healthcare team.



Why Is HbA1c Also Useful?



A post-meal result shows glucose at one moment. HbA1c estimates the average glucose over approximately the previous two to three months. The two tests provide different information and are often reviewed together.



Our guide to HbA1c and average blood sugar explains how to interpret the result.



How to Make Future Tests More Useful




  • Start counting from the first bite of the meal.

  • Use her usual medicine schedule unless instructed otherwise.

  • Record what and how much she ate.

  • Avoid changing the meal only to produce a better number.

  • Repeat testing at comparable times when her doctor requests it.



If results are repeatedly high or low, her doctor should review the meal pattern, medicine timing, and other readings. The accepted diagnostic tests are described in blood tests for diabetes.



My Advice



What your mother did was generally correct for a routine PP test: she ate, took her prescribed medicine, and tested two hours later. For the next test, confirm whether the two hours should be counted from the first bite and ask what personal target her doctor wants her to use.



Hope this helps.



Dr. Albana Greca



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References






Educational only — not personal medical advice. Follow the laboratory’s instructions and your mother’s individual medicine and glucose targets.


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