What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes Diagnosis

Diabetes diagnosis is one of the most important step to take in order to prevent complications.

Treatment of the disease has largely improved because of the development of better and more advanced diabetes diagnosis procedures.

There are generally three types of tests that medical professionals now use for diagnosing the condition and here they are below:

Diabetes Diagnosis: Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG)

Fasting Plasma Glucose Test is the most commonly performed diabetes diagnosis test primarily since it is very affordable and convenient.

However, it may not be as sensitive and as accurate as the other kinds of diagnostic tests that are available.

FPG test is most sensitive during the morning, where normal blood glucose levels can range from 99 mg/dl or below.

Those with pre-diabetes can have plasma glucose concentrations from 100-125 mg/dl while those with actual diabetes can have plasma glucose beyond 125 mg/dl.

Those who test positive should have a second test performed on a separate day for confirmation.

Diabetes Diagnosis: Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test is a much more reliable and sensitive test compared to the FPG diabetes diagnosis test.

But the downside to this diabetes diagnosis test is that it is quite inconvenient to perform. OGTT will require patients to undergo fasting for 8 hours before the actual test is done.

The plasma glucose is tested several times during the procedure. Blood is taken before and after a person drinks a liquid that contains approximately 75g of glucose in water.

The result of these two measurements will determine if the patient has diabetes or not. Patients who have blood glucose levels 140-199 mg/dl after 2 hours of taking in the liquid are diagnosed with pre-diabetes, while those with a glucose concentration of 200 mg/dl or more are diagnosed with diabetes.

Results need to be confirmed through a second round of tests, done on a separate day.

Diabetes Diagnosis: Random Plasma Glucose Test

Random Plasma Glucose Test is a very simple blood sugar test that is not as sensitive as the OGTT or the FPG.

This diabetes diagnosis test does not require fasting and is usually performed in emergency situations when medical professionals need to have immediate information about a patient’s blood glucose level.

The blood is extracted and is processed for 24-48 hours in independent laboratories, while those processed within hospitals can give out even faster results.

A patient with a blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or below is considered as

non-diabetic while those who have concentrations above this level is diagnosed with diabetes.

However, diabetes-associated symptoms should also be present before a diagnosis is given.

Aside from high levels of blood glucose, diabetic patients also need to manifest symptoms such as abnormally frequent urination, excessive hunger and excessive thirst.
Patients who are diagnosed only with pre-diabetic conditions often develop diabetes when the condition is left untreated for prolonged periods of time.

Hence, diabetes should never be taken for granted. So if you think you have diabetes, go to your nearest hospital or clinic and ask for these diabetes diagnosis tests today.

Remember, early diabetes diagnosis and prompt treatment can help save your life.