By Dr .Muhammad Mosleh Uddin
âĸ
20 Aug, 2026
Arterial Vs Capillary Vs Venous glucose level difference
đ´ CBG āĻŽāĻžāĻĒāϞā§āĻ āĻāĻŋ āϏāĻŦ āĻšā§ā§ āϝāĻžā§?
CBG āĻāϏāϞ⧠āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āϰāĻā§ accurate result āĻĻā§ā§āύāĻžāĨ¤ Accurate glucosr result āĻĒāĻžāĻā§āĻž Venous plasma sample āĻāĨ¤ āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āϏā§āĻāĻž āϤ⧠āĻāϰ āĻŦāĻžāϏāĻžā§ āĻāϰāĻž āϏāĻŽā§āĻāύ āύāĻžāĻšāĨ¤
āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧠āĻāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻŦā§ CBG āĻŽā§āĻĒā§ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ Venous plasma glucose level assume āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āύ āϏā§āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāύāĻļāĻž āĻāϞā§āϞāĻžāĻš āĻāĻāĻžāύ⧠āϞāĻŋāĻāĻžāϰ āĻā§āώā§āĻāĻž āĻāϰā§āĻāĻŋ āĻāϞāĻšāĻžāĻŽāĻĻā§āϞāĻŋāϞā§āϞāĻžāĻšāĨ¤
đ´ Arterial glucose level â Capillary glucose level > Venous glucose level
đ´ Why?
Glucose is delivered to tissues from arterial blood, and tissues extract glucose before the blood returns through the veins.
đ´ In fasting conditions:
Capillary glucose is on average 0.3 mmol/L or 5 mg/dL higher than venous glucose in commonly cited data.
đ´ in post-meal conditions:
Capillary glucose becomes significantly higher.
Typically the difference is on average 30 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L), approximately 20â25% higher than venous glucose.
āĻ
āϰā§āĻĨāĻžā§, Fasting condition āĻ Capillary glucose āĻāϰ Venous gluose level āĻ āĻā§āĻŦ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋ difference āĻĨāĻžāĻā§ āύāĻžāĨ¤
āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠after meal āĻāĻ difference āĻāĻž āĻŽā§āĻāĻžāĻŽā§āĻāĻŋ significant āĻšā§ā§ āϝāĻžā§āĨ¤
đ In fasting:
Arterial â Capillary > Venous
đ After meal:
Arterial â Capillary >> Venous
đ´ Practical example:
āϧāϰā§āύ, āĻāĻāĻāύ āĻĄāĻžā§āĻžāĻŦā§āĻāĻŋāĻ āĻĒā§āĻļā§āύā§āĻ āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻžāϰ ⧍ āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž āĻĒāϰ āĻŦāĻžāϏāĻžā§ Glucometer āĻĻāĻŋā§ā§ CBG (capillary blood glucose) check āĻāϰāϞā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻŦāĻ reading āĻāϏāϞ⧠12 mmol/L.
āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āϏ⧠āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻž Lab āĻ Venous plasma āϤ⧠measure āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻāϤ āĻĒā§āϤ⧠āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧠āĻŦāϞā§āύāϤā§?
12 āĻāϰ 20 % = 12Ã(20/100) = 2.4
āϤāĻžāϰāĻŽāĻžāύ⧠Venous plasma āϤ⧠āĻāϏāϞ⧠āϤāĻžāϰ value āĻāϏāϤ⧠approximately = 12-2.4 = 9.6 mmol/L
āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻā§āύ, āϤāĻžāĻšāϞ⧠āĻāϤāĻāĻž vary āĻšāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§?
āĻāĻŦāĻžāϰ āĻāϏā§āύ āĻāϰā§āĻāĻāĻž āĻŦā§āϝāĻĒāĻžāϰ āĻā§āϞāĻŋā§āĻžāϰ āĻāϰāĻŋ āĻāύāĻļāĻž āĻāϞā§āϞāĻžāĻš,
đ´ Plasma glucose Vs Blood glucose
Plasma glucose is 10-12% (on average 11%) higher than whole-blood glucose in a person with normal haematocrit.
āĻāĻŽāϰāĻž āĻāĻāĻāĻž formula ā§ āĻĢā§āϞāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻžāĻā§, āĻāύāĻļāĻž āĻāϞā§āϞāĻžāĻšāĨ¤
đˇ Plasma glucose â Whole-blood glucose à 1.11 .
Conversely:
đˇ Whole-blood glucose â Plasma glucose à 0.90
đˇ Example
If whole-blood glucose = 90 mg/dL
Then approximately:
Plasma glucose â 90 Ã 1.11 = 100 mg/dL.
But this is only an approximation because hematocrit affects the relationship.
đ´ For diagnosis of diabetes, use Venous plasma glucose level as the standard laboratory measurement.
That means, to diagnose DM,
đ Standard sample : Plasma
đ Standard site : Vein
So in prescription you should write,
đFPG and 2 hrs after 75 g glucose load.
đāϝāĻĻāĻŋāĻ āĻāĻŽāϰāĻž, FBS āϞāĻŋāĻāĻŋ, Lab āĻ āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠Plasma sample āĻĨā§āĻā§āĻ mesure āĻāϰāĻž āĻšā§āĨ¤ āϤāĻŦā§ ideally FPG (fasting plasma glucose) āĻ āϞāĻŋāĻāĻž āĻāĻāĻŋāϤāĨ¤
đ´ Summary
The capillaryâvenous 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.
đ Outdoor management series
Dr. Muhammad Mosleh Uddin
FCPS trainee (Cardiology), MBBS (CMC)