Testing for Diabetes

Testing for diabetes is vital to manage your life with this disease and explained clearly here. There are four tests that can measure your diabetes blood sugar level. We will discuss each of them separately.

Fasting Blood Glucose Level

The sugar in your blood is glucose. Other sugars you digest are lactose and sucrose. Only glucose gets to travel to your cells in your bloodstream. A fasting blood test means nothing to eat or drink on the morning of the test.

Fasting blood glucose test is the gold standard for the diagnosis of diabetes. The technician takes blood from a vein on the inside of your arm. The small vial then goes to a laboratory where a machine analyzes your blood.

The glucose in your blood is measured in milligrams per deciliter. One milligram is about the size of a grain of sand. A deciliter is about one-tenth of a quart or about 3 ounces of liquid. We are talking about small amounts.

People who do not have diabetes have fasting blood glucose levels generally between 70 – 110 mg/dL. A diabetes blood sugar level is above 126 mg/dL.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Testing for diabetes with an oral glucose tolerance test can take three hours. Once again it is a fasting test – no food or drink for at least 10 hours. The technician takes an initial blood sugar level. Then, you drink a glucose solution with a high amount of sugar. They test your blood in 30 minutes, again in 1 hour, then 2 hours, and finally 3 hours.

A person without diabetes would show a rise in blood glucose after drinking the solution. Then, the glucose level falls quickly back to normal. Insulin production rises and reduces the level of glucose.

The glucose levels come down more slowly. This is because your body is not producing enough insulin, or your body is not responsive to it. A high diabetes blood sugar level is characteristic in the oral glucose tolerance test.

The A1C Test

In 2009, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced at their annual meeting that the A1C blood test is an accurate way to diagnose diabetes. Known as the glycated hemoglobin or HbA1C blood test, it measure the glucose attached to your hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is a protein in your blood. It makes the red blood cells red. It is an atom of iron attached to the protein. It is like a magnet for oxygen and glucose.

The A1C blood test measures the percentage of glycosated hemoglobin in your blood. It gives your doctor an average of blood sugar levels over the past two or three months. As a diabetic your A1C level is probably above 6.5%.

The A1C blood test will help you:

• Confirm your self-testing results.
• Evaluate if your diabetes management plan is working.
• See how healthy choices make a difference in blood glucose control.

Your doctor will automatically order this blood test when you see him for quarterly check-ups.

Traditional Home Blood Sugar Tests

Regular testing of your blood glucose levels in important to prevent complications. Those complications are explained in other places on this web site.

The testing for diabetes at home, several times a day, uses a blood glucose meter and diabetes test strips. The glucose meter is the size of a cell phone. The diabetes tests strips are smaller than a paperclip. One end fits into the glucose meter and the other end accepts a drop of blood from your fingertip.

The worst part of home testing is pricking your finger. You really do get used to it. You learn how to prick your fingertip ever so gently. You need just a small drop of blood for the test.

The current glucose meters give you results in 5 seconds. They are very fast. The number is in milligrams per deciliter. And, the meters have a memory feature with the exact time of day you measured your glucose blood level.

It is very helpful for your doctor if you have a list of the blood glucose numbers with the time of day in a chart form for him to look at. I personally transfer the numbers in my meter’s memory to a piece of paper to show my doctor.

Conclusion

We have explained fasting blood glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, A1C blood test and home blood glucose tests. We hope you now have a better understanding of these tests. Let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Margaret Stenerson
March 9, 2010