Question

A woman is being tested for diabetes mellitus. Her blood glucose is measured over a period of time, and the measurements are recorded in the table below. Graph the data and determine the type of feedback. (At time 0, the patient drinks a sugar solution). Provide a title for the graph and label the axes appropriately (including measurement units). Dependent variable:__ Independent variable:__ What is the mean (average) for this person s blood glucose? Consult your textbook for the normal fasting blood glucose levels. Does the patient always remain within the normal range? Does the patient have any apparent problems with glucose regulation?

Answer 1

Answer:

Dependent variable = Blood glucose level (mg/dL), Y-axis

Independent variable = Time (hours), X-axis

Feedback = Negative, since the blood sugar level is maintained in the normal range.

1. The data for blood glucose = 90, 120, 110, 90, 80, 85

Therefore, mean = (90+120+110+90+80+85) / 6

= 95.83

So, the person's mean blood glucose level is 95.83 mg/dL

2. A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL is considered normal and it's less than 140 mg/dL 2 hours after eating.

The patient is made to drink a sugar solution at time 0. At time 0, the blood glucose level is 90 mg/dL which is within the normal range during fasting. The blood glucose level throughout is less than 140 mg/dL after intake of sugar solution, though after 1 hour the blood glucose level is 120 mg/dL.

So, it can be concluded that the patient's blood sugar level remains within the normal range, except for the blood glucose level after 1 hour.

3. Since the blood glucose level is below 140 mg/dL after 2 hours of intake of sugar solution, the regulation can be concluded to be normal glucose regulation (NGR).