mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter)
mmol/L (millimoles per liter)
Understanding Your Blood Glucose and Insulin Dosing
Managing blood glucose levels is crucial for individuals with diabetes. This calculator helps you estimate the required insulin dose based on your current glucose level, carbohydrate intake, and personal insulin-to-carb ratios and sensitivity factors.
How the Calculator Works
The calculator estimates two primary components of an insulin dose:
Correction Dose: This is the amount of insulin needed to bring your current high blood glucose down to your target level. It's calculated using your Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF), which tells you how many points (mg/dL or mmol/L) your glucose will drop with one unit of insulin.
Meal Dose: This is the amount of insulin needed to cover the carbohydrates you plan to eat. It's calculated using your Carbohydrate Ratio (CR), which indicates how many grams of carbohydrates one unit of insulin can cover.
Formulas Used:
The calculator performs the following calculations, ensuring unit consistency:
Correction Dose (Units):
If unit is mg/dL: (Current Glucose - Target Glucose) / ISF (in mg/dL)
If unit is mmol/L: (Current Glucose - Target Glucose) / ISF (in mmol/L)
Meal Dose (Units): Carbohydrate Intake (grams) / Carbohydrate Ratio (g/U)
Total Insulin Dose (Units): Correction Dose + Meal Dose
The ISF and CR are highly personalized and can vary based on activity, time of day, and individual metabolism. It is essential to consult with your healthcare provider to determine your correct ISF and CR values.
Understanding the Units:
mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter): A common unit for measuring blood glucose in the United States and other countries.
mmol/L (millimoles per liter): A common unit for measuring blood glucose in many other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia. (Approximate conversion: 1 mmol/L = 18 mg/dL)
Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF): Represents how much one unit of insulin will lower blood glucose. It can be expressed in mg/dL or mmol/L.
Carbohydrate Ratio (CR): Represents the number of grams of carbohydrates that one unit of insulin can cover. Expressed as grams per unit (g/U).
Important Disclaimer:
This calculator is an estimation tool and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your doctor or a certified diabetes educator for personalized treatment plans and insulin dosing. Blood glucose levels can be affected by many factors, including illness, stress, exercise, and medications.
function calculateInsulinDose() {
var currentGlucose = parseFloat(document.getElementById("currentGlucose").value);
var glucoseUnit = document.getElementById("glucoseUnit").value;
var targetGlucose = parseFloat(document.getElementById("targetGlucose").value);
var insulinSensitivityFactor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("insulinSensitivityFactor").value);
var carbIntake = parseFloat(document.getElementById("carbIntake").value);
var carbRatio = parseFloat(document.getElementById("carbRatio").value);
var resultElement = document.getElementById("result");
resultElement.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results
// Input validation
if (isNaN(currentGlucose) || isNaN(targetGlucose) || isNaN(insulinSensitivityFactor) || isNaN(carbIntake) || isNaN(carbRatio)) {
resultElement.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
if (insulinSensitivityFactor <= 0 || carbRatio targetGlucose) {
if (glucoseUnit === "mg/dL") {
correctionDose = (currentGlucose – targetGlucose) / insulinSensitivityFactor;
} else { // mmol/L
// Ensure ISF is correctly interpreted for mmol/L if provided as mg/dL equivalent
// For simplicity here, we assume ISF is given in the correct unit as per the prompt's example (e.g., 2.8 for mmol/L)
correctionDose = (currentGlucose – targetGlucose) / insulinSensitivityFactor;
}
}
// Calculate Meal Dose
if (carbIntake > 0) {
mealDose = carbIntake / carbRatio;
}
// Calculate Total Dose
totalDose = correctionDose + mealDose;
// Round to a reasonable number of decimal places for insulin units
correctionDose = correctionDose.toFixed(2);
mealDose = mealDose.toFixed(2);
totalDose = totalDose.toFixed(2);
resultElement.innerHTML =
"Correction Dose: " + correctionDose + " Units" +
"Meal Dose: " + mealDose + " Units" +
"Total Insulin Dose: " + totalDose + " Units";
}