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There are three tests used to diagnose diabetes: a fasting blood
glucose test, the oral glucose tolerance test and the hemoglobin A1c
test. For people who have diabetes, daily diabetes tests are used to
determine the effectiveness of medications, eating plans, exercise
and, if necessary, insulin injections. In order to control your
diabetes and understand what diabetes does to the level of sugar in
your blood, you should understand what these tests represent.
The most commonly used test to screen for diabetes is the fasting
blood glucose level. The normal range for fasting (no food or drink
other than water for 8 hours before the test) is less than 110mg/dl.
This test is used most often due to its ease of use, quick results
and it is relatively inexpensive to perform. If the test reads over
125, you will be asked to take it again. A subsequent reading over
125 results in a diagnosis of diabetes.
The second test, the oral glucose tolerance test, is more
difficult for the patient, but the results are more accurate. For
this test, the patient must again fast for 8 hours. He is then given
a sugar solution to drink and blood levels are tested at regular
intervals. In a non-diabetic person, his sugar levels rise after the
solution is ingested and then quickly fall. For a person with
diabetes, the blood sugar rises higher than that of a non-diabetic
and takes longer to fall.
The hemoglobin A1c test is an ongoing test that should be
performed on people with diabetes every three months until it can be
determined the diabetes is under control. Like the finger stick
tests people with diabetes take several times a day, every day, the
A1c is a blood test. It measures percentages over a three-month
period that represents the amount of sugar still in the bloodstream.
A goal of 7% is set for every patient.
People with diabetes test themselves every day to help control
their diabetes. Those with type 2 diabetes don’t have to test as
often, but when first diagnosed should test when trying new foods,
new exercise and in the morning. People who inject insulin need to
test more often, sometimes up to 7 times a day. These diabetes tests
are done with a glucose meter and test strips and use a drop of
blood taken from the finger. New monitors are being developed that
require smaller drops of blood and use different testing sites to
improve the quality of life for a person with diabetes.
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