Crucial Diabetes Tests and What The Results Mean?

 

Why is Testing Diabetes Important?

Crucial Diabetes Tests and What The Results Mean

Diabetes Testing | Image by Freepik

Diabetes tests are a crucial step in discovering, monitoring, and managing the disease.

There are several tests to check if a person is prediabetic or an actual diabetic.

These tests employ different methods to give back crucial results that help in health decision-making.

Testing is normally simple and results are available almost immediately with correct interpretations.

Note, that some efforts may be needed from those testing to aid in these tests.

This article highlights why testing for diabetes is important and different techniques for testing for diabetes.

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Why is Testing for Diabetes Important?

Testing for diabetes is an important step to determine if you may be having any of the three known diabetes.

They include type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. In addition, the testing may be done to establish if you are prediabetic.

What are The Available Tests?

There are different tests for diabetes. They include the A1C, Fasting blood sugar test, Glucose tolerance test, and Random blood sugar test.

Random Blood Sugar test

Random blood sugar test measures sugar levels at any time. It does not need a patient to fast before measurements.

The results are typically available within minutes and are expressed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

Alternatively, they can be expressed in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Note that this test does not indicate whether an individual is prediabetic.

Results Interpretation

When the results are 200mg/dL or higher, an individual is considered to be diabetic. The normal range is between 70-140 mg/dL.

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A1C Test

The A1C test is also known as a glycated hemoglobin test and measures the average sugar levels over the past 2 months or so.

Considering the time interval, it is the best indicator of how well a person has been controlling sugar levels.

The test is done by drawing blood from vessels and analyzing it; important to note is that this test does not require fasting.

A1C Test Results Interpretation

For this test, results are expressed in percentages. For normal individuals, the A1C levels are normally below 5.7%.

For prediabetics, the levels range from 5.7% to 6.4% while for diabetics it is 6.5% and above.

The A1C test is thus an important tool for managing long-term sugar control goals.

Fasting Blood Sugar Test

A fasting blood sugar test is another important test when determining the diabetes status of an individual.

As the name suggests, this test requires a patient to engage in fasting for some time before the test.

The test is done after an overnight fasting and the results are expressed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

Fasting Blood Sugar Test Results Interpretation

A result of 99 mg/dL or less indicates a normal range. A result between 100 - 125 mg/dL indicates prediabetes. Above 125 mg/dL indicates diabetes.

Glucose Tolerance Test

The glucose tolerance test employs a unique way of measuring glucose levels in blood.

This test is done before and after a person takes a liquid that contains sugar.

In this test, there is an overnight fasting before a patient’s blood is drawn for testing.

After taking the sugary drink, the blood sugar level is measured at intervals of 1 hour for about 3 hours.

The results are reported as sugar concentration at hourly instances.

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Glucose Tolerance Test Results Interpretation

The results are reported in mg/dL. At 2 hours, a glucose level of 140mg/dL is considered normal.

If the level at 2 hours stands between 140 - 199 mg/dL then an individual is considered prediabetic.

Above that level, an individual is diagnosed with diabetes.

Conclusion

Regularly checking your blood sugar level is important for monitoring your health. 

Diabetes is a disease that develops over time and can be effectively managed if detected earlier.

Through tests like A1C, glucose tolerance test, fasting blood sugar test, and random blood sugar test, a patient can track their glucose levels.

Do not wait until it is too late, do regular health checkups for better health.