A test for diabetes is based on the amount of glucose present in a certain sample of blood. There are a number of tests that can be used to assess the presence of diabetes.
The level of glucose in blood depends on the kind of foods you take and the interval before the test. Usually, the amount of glucose present in blood reaches its peak soon after taking food.
On the other hand, it reaches the lowest point after you have fasted for approximately 8 to 10 hours. If you take a heavy meal, the level of blood sugar will increase to approximately 140 mg/dl (milligrams / deciliter).
If you fast throughout the night, the level of blood glucose will decrease to about 70 mg/dl. Untreated cases of diabetes result in high glucose levels in blood after taking food or fasting.
If your are worried about how to test for diabetes, your doctor assesses the level of sugar in your blood. The doctor needs to take a blood sample. The result of the test indicates whether you have the condition. Individuals who have diabetes are also able to know the type.
However, health care providers will not rely on the results of only one test in the diagnosis of diabetes. Usually, they’ll need to carry out at least two tests before making any conclusions about the presence of the disease in any person’s body system. The most widely used tests for diabetes include:
- The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT)
- The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT)
The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT) is the most widely recognized test if you are looking for how to test for diabetes type 1 or type 2. This test is typically carried out in the morning. Ahead of the performance of this test, you are supposed to abstain from eating any kind of food for 8 or 10 hours.
Blood is removed from a venous blood vessel in the arm and taken to a lab for the diabetes test. In case the test reading indicates between 100 and125 mg/dl, it means that you have a condition called pre-diabetes or Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG). This implies that you are most certain to get type 2 diabetes. However, it has not yet developed. A reading of 126 mg/dl should be backed by a second test because it implies the presence of diabetes.
The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
When it comes to this test, you are supposed to take a drink having glucose. Samples of blood are then removed at intervals within a period of three hours. All the tests are appropriately timed at regular intervals during that period. In case the reading of the level of blood glucose indicates between 140 to 199 mg/dl, some 120 minutes after consuming the drink, then know that you have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which is a type of pre-diabetes.
This implies that you are most certain to get type 2 diabetes. However, it has not yet developed. A reading of 200 mg/dl should be backed by a second test become it implies the presence of diabetes.
