Tests for Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce the correct level of insulin which results in the sugar levels in the blood being too high or too low; generally not balanced correctly. This condition can cause all kinds of side effects if it is not managed correctly, and the first step is a correct diagnosis. There are a range of tests that are done to diagnose diabetes, and once it is diagnosed you can begin to take steps to manage the condition in order to avoid developing further complications and other illnesses that diabetes sufferers are more prone to.
These are some of the tests that your doctor may run to determine if you have diabetes and whether it is type 1 or type 2. These tests will also be run on a regular basis after diagnose in order to determine how well your diabetes is being managed
Glycohemoglobin A1c – This test measures whether glucose is sticking to the red blood cells. This is a diagnosis for diabetes, as well as for estimating your blood sugar level. Your doctor will use it to check how well your diabetes is being managed, and whether your medication should be changed.
Fasting blood sugar – This involves you fasting for a fixed amount of time and then your blood sugar will be measured. Whilst you fast your body produces glucagon which will increase the levels of glucose in your blood. In someone who doesn’t have diabetes, the body will produce insulin to control the blood sugar levels, whereas in a diabetic person this process does not happen effectively. This means that after a fasting blood sugar test, the diabetic person will have a much higher level of glucose in their blood than someone who does not have the condition.
Oral glucose tolerance test – this is used to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is the presence of greater than normal levels of sugar in the blood, but not enough to indicate full diabetes. This test involves a string of blood glucose tests that are taken after you drink a sugary drink. This is generally used to diagnose gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy.
Random blood sugar – this is a series of random measurements of blood glucose taken at various points during the day, regardless of when you have last eaten. People with correctly functioning insulin production have a fairly steady blood sugar level, so if your blood sugar varies a lot throughout the day, then there is most likely a problem with your insulin production.
Once your doctor has diagnosed diabetes they may want to do further tests to determine whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes which is an important distinction as the two types of diabetes need to be treated differently and carry different risks and side effects. Being diagnosed with diabetes may seem like a huge and terrible thing to happen, but it is better to know that you have the condition as it can then be controlled.