By Dr .Muhammad Mosleh Uddin â€ĸ 20 Aug, 2026

Arterial Vs Capillary Vs Venous glucose level difference

🔴 CBG āĻŽāĻžāĻĒāϞ⧇āχ āĻ•āĻŋ āϏāĻŦ āĻšā§Ÿā§‡ āϝāĻžā§Ÿ? CBG āφāϏāϞ⧇ āφāĻŽāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰāϕ⧇ accurate result āĻĻā§‡ā§ŸāύāĻžāĨ¤ Accurate glucosr result āĻĒāĻžāĻ“ā§ŸāĻž Venous plasma sample āĻāĨ¤ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āϏ⧇āϟāĻž āϤ⧋ āφāϰ āĻŦāĻžāϏāĻžā§Ÿ āĻ•āϰāĻž āϏāĻŽā§āĻ­āύ āύāĻžāĻšāĨ¤ āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ CBG āĻŽā§‡āĻĒ⧇ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ Venous plasma glucose level assume āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āύ āϏ⧇āϟāĻžāχ āχāύāĻļāĻž āφāĻ˛ā§āϞāĻžāĻš āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āϞāĻŋāĻ–āĻžāϰ āĻšā§‡āĻˇā§āϟāĻž āĻ•āϰ⧇āĻ›āĻŋ āφāϞāĻšāĻžāĻŽāĻĻ⧁āϞāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āϞāĻžāĻšāĨ¤ 🔴 Arterial glucose level ≈ Capillary glucose level > Venous glucose level 🔴 Why? Glucose is delivered to tissues from arterial blood, and tissues extract glucose before the blood returns through the veins. 🔴 In fasting conditions: Capillary glucose is on average 0.3 mmol/L or 5 mg/dL higher than venous glucose in commonly cited data. 🔴 in post-meal conditions: Capillary glucose becomes significantly higher. Typically the difference is on average 30 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L), approximately 20–25% higher than venous glucose. āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§Ž, Fasting condition āĻ Capillary glucose āφāϰ Venous gluose level āĻ āϖ⧁āĻŦ āĻŦ⧇āĻļāĻŋ difference āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ āύāĻžāĨ¤ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ after meal āĻāχ difference āϟāĻž āĻŽā§‹āϟāĻžāĻŽā§āϟāĻŋ significant āĻšā§Ÿā§‡ āϝāĻžā§ŸāĨ¤ 📌 In fasting: Arterial ≈ Capillary > Venous 📌 After meal: Arterial ≈ Capillary >> Venous 🔴 Practical example: āϧāϰ⧁āύ, āĻāĻ•āϜāύ āĻĄāĻžā§ŸāĻžāĻŦ⧇āϟāĻŋāĻ• āĻĒ⧇āĻļ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϟ āĻ–āĻžāĻŦāĻžāϰ ⧍ āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž āĻĒāϰ āĻŦāĻžāϏāĻžā§Ÿ Glucometer āĻĻāĻŋā§Ÿā§‡ CBG (capillary blood glucose) check āĻ•āϰāϞ⧋āĨ¤ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ reading āφāϏāϞ⧋ 12 mmol/L. āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āϏ⧇ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻāϟāĻž Lab āĻ Venous plasma āϤ⧇ measure āĻ•āϰāϤ⧋ āĻ•āϤ āĻĒ⧇āϤ⧋ āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧇ āĻŦāϞ⧁āύāϤ⧋? 12 āĻāϰ 20 % = 12×(20/100) = 2.4 āϤāĻžāϰāĻŽāĻžāύ⧇ Venous plasma āϤ⧇ āφāϏāϞ⧇ āϤāĻžāϰ value āφāϏāϤ⧋ approximately = 12-2.4 = 9.6 mmol/L āĻĻ⧇āϖ⧇āϛ⧇āύ, āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧇ āĻ•āϤāϟāĻž vary āĻšāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇? āĻāĻŦāĻžāϰ āφāϏ⧇āύ āφāϰ⧇āĻ•āϟāĻž āĻŦā§āϝāĻĒāĻžāϰ āĻ•ā§āϞāĻŋ⧟āĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻŋ āχāύāĻļāĻž āφāĻ˛ā§āϞāĻžāĻš, 🔴 Plasma glucose Vs Blood glucose Plasma glucose is 10-12% (on average 11%) higher than whole-blood glucose in a person with normal haematocrit. āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āĻāĻ•āϟāĻž formula ⧟ āĻĢ⧇āϞāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŋ āĻāϟāĻžāϕ⧇, āχāύāĻļāĻž āφāĻ˛ā§āϞāĻžāĻšāĨ¤ 🔷 Plasma glucose ≈ Whole-blood glucose × 1.11 . Conversely: 🔷 Whole-blood glucose ≈ Plasma glucose × 0.90 🔷 Example If whole-blood glucose = 90 mg/dL Then approximately: Plasma glucose ≈ 90 × 1.11 = 100 mg/dL. But this is only an approximation because hematocrit affects the relationship. 🔴 For diagnosis of diabetes, use Venous plasma glucose level as the standard laboratory measurement. That means, to diagnose DM, 📌 Standard sample : Plasma 📌 Standard site : Vein So in prescription you should write, 📌FPG and 2 hrs after 75 g glucose load. 📌āϝāĻĻāĻŋāĻ“ āφāĻŽāϰāĻž, FBS āϞāĻŋāĻ–āĻŋ, Lab āĻ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ Plasma sample āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇āχ mesure āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻšā§ŸāĨ¤ āϤāĻŦ⧇ ideally FPG (fasting plasma glucose) āχ āϞāĻŋāĻ–āĻž āωāϚāĻŋāϤāĨ¤ 🔴 Summary The capillary–venous glucose difference is small in fasting, but becomes substantial after glucose ingestion, because peripheral tissues extract glucose from the blood. References: WHO Definition and Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and Intermediate Hyperglycemia; Davidson's Principles & Practice of Medicine; Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine; NCBI/Clinical Methods; ADA/WHO glucose measurement recommendations. 🎓 Outdoor management series Dr. Muhammad Mosleh Uddin FCPS trainee (Cardiology), MBBS (CMC)