Diabetes is a long-term condition caused by either insufficient insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin controls blood sugar.
Hyperglycemia is a sign of uncontrolled diabetes. It can harm the brain and circulatory systems.
In 2014, 8.5% of adults had diabetes. 1.5 million deaths from diabetes in 2019 were under 70 years old.
So, diagnosing diabetes disease early can save your life. There are different tastes available to determine diabetes. In this blog, we will go through different types of diabetes tests.
Table of contents
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
What are Diabetes Tests?
How can you know you have diabetes? It is when your body doesn’t utilize glucose properly. It is also known as diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes (blood sugar). You have diabetes if you cannot produce insulin or if your insulin does not function properly.
This may result in dangerously high glucose levels. These include heart disease, nerve damage, vision, and renal illness. You may find out if you’re at risk for or have diabetes by taking a blood or urine test to detect glucose levels.
A1c, blood glucose, OGTT, and glucose in urine are other terms for the same thing: a blood sugar reading that isn’t tied to a particular meal or time of day.
What Purpose Do They Serve?
Screening for and diagnosis of the following conditions can be accomplished through the use of diabetes tests:
Diabetic type 1:
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body producing very little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetics must inject or use an insulin pump daily to get their insulin dosage.
Diabetic type 2:
The most frequent kind of diabetes is type 1. Your body may still be able to produce insulin. But your cells aren’t responding adequately to insulin. And hence have difficulty absorbing enough glucose from your blood.
Overweight and other variables, such as genetics and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes. It can potentially contribute to the development of the condition.
However, it’s growing increasingly prevalent among children and teenagers as well. Pregnant women are more susceptible to developing this kind of diabetes.
Prediabetes:
In this scenario, your blood sugar levels are higher than anticipated. But they do not reach the threshold required to diagnose you with diabetes.
Types of Diabetes Tests
Diagnosis and screening for diabetes can be made in a variety of methods. Glucose levels in the blood are typically measured in most examinations.
A blood sample will be extracted from a vein in your arm using a very thin needle. It performs by a medical professional. A tiny amount of blood will be taken once the needle is put into a test tube or vial. Your skin may be penetrated. This takes five minutes.
Glucose blood tests may be divided into three categories:
Blood Glucose Test:
Fasting blood glucose is another name for it. Fast for 8 hours just before testing. This test is frequently utilized as a diabetes screening tool.
Test of oral glucose tolerance (OGTT):
Fasting is also required before this test. Upon arrival for your appointment, a sample of your blood will be drawn. You’ll have to down a sweet beverage laced with glucose then. A second blood sample will be taken from the patient in 2 hours.
Random Blood Sugar:
You can take this exam any time. There’s no need to abstain from food. I think it’s an easy test to do. However, you can do it from any nearest clinic.
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c):
Hemoglobin glucose attachment during the last three months is assessed using this test. However, it transports oxygen throughout the body. Furthermore, this test does not need fasting.
Bottom Line
It is also possible to test for glucose in urine. However, urine testing can indicate your risk of developing diabetes. A blood test will be required to confirm the diagnosis if your glucose in urine levels are abnormal.
Your doctor may prescribe an at-home glucose test kit for you to use. Test strips are included in the package that you place under the stream of urine. The test strip’s color will change as the glucose level rises or falls. This is all about types of diabetes tests.
Read More: