If you have a history of diabetes in your family, and you are overweight or over 40 years old, it is likely that your doctor could begin diabetes testing. Don’t worry. Diabetes testing is fairly simple, and diabetes is important to catch early. If diagnosed, your doctor will perform more diabetes testing to manage the development of the disease. Types of diabetes testing include:

  • Fasting tests
  • Glucose tests
  • A1C tests
  • Random blood tests
  • Ketone Tests

 

Diabetes Glucose Testing

 

Obviously, the first part of diabetes testing is going to be the diagnosis. When testing for diabetes, doctors will use the following tests:

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test: this test measures the blood glucose levels in a person who has not eaten anything for 8 hours. It is the preferred method for testing diabetes in a person because of its convenience and low cost. However, it does cause some people with diabetes to go undiagnosed. It is most reliable when performed in the morning.

Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): This diabetes glucose testing measures the blood glucose after a person fasts for 8 hours and 2 hours after the person drinks a glucose-containing beverage. It is more sensitive than the FPG test, especially in cases of pre diabetes testing. The plasma glucose level is measure immediately before and 2 hours after the person drink 75 grams of glucose dissolved in water.

Random plasma glucose test: Yet another way of glucose testing for diabetes, the random plasma glucose test is also sometimes called a casual plasma glucose test. It measures the blood glucose of a person without regard to when they last ate. This test may be able to diagnose a patient with diabetes along with an assessment of symptoms. Symptoms include increased urination, increased thirst, and weight loss. This test cannot be used to diagnose pre-diabetes.

 

Blood Testing for Diabetes

 

The fact is living with diabetes involves dealing with frequent blood tests. You will be self-monitoring with your own diabetes testing device, your blood glucose levels will be tested, and your doctor will blood test you to monitor blood glucose control. It is not always easy, but these tests can be very useful if you understand what they are and what the results mean.

Screening and diagnostic blood tests are used before you know that you have the disease. A doctor may screen you event if you have no symptoms at all. A drop of blood from your fingertip is typically all that is needed for this type of test and it only takes a minute or two. Descriptions of diabetes testing for a diagnosis are listed above. The same ones are used for gestational diabetes testing.

Diabetes testing to monitor your progress will be continually be performed after your diagnosis. One interesting test that will be performed is called a glycated hemoglobin test (GHb). Since blood cells stay in circulation for 2-3 months, this tests allows your doctor to take an average of your blood glucose levels over that period of time and see how you are handling things on your own.

Luckily, there are now bloodless diabetes testing devices. These bloodless glucose meters work by drawing interstitial fluid through the sweat glands of the skin. By using a small electric current to draw the fluid, it can test your glucose levels at no discomfort to you.

 

Diabetes Testing A1C

 

According to Medicinenet.com, the A1c test has revolutionized diabetes management.  The way it works is, as your body processes blood sugar, small amounts of glucose bond naturally with hemoglobin. The amount of glucose that bonds is proportionate to the amount of total glucose in your system.

This allows physicians to keep a glucose record. It makes testing easier, because it allows physicians to get an overall reading instead of relying on fasting readings. Finally, the test gives specifics and eliminates errors and surprises.

 

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