Reasons Why

There are a number of reasons why a diabetes test is important for a patient since it helps in regularly monitoring the blood sugar levels that in turn will indicated whether these levels are normal or not, and by keeping the level normal, it will play an important role in preventing the onset or possibility of developing diabetes and prevent complications that can even are life-threatening as well.

It is not always necessary to visit the doctor to have your diabetes test performed as diabetics can also monitor their types 1 and 2 diabetes on their own by using blood tests at home with the help of home kits, and it must be mentioned that doing your own diabetes test is very important for your long-term health condition. You can use a thumb prick blood test on your own to check your diabetes condition, or you could have a diabetes test conducted in a laboratory every once in a while all through the year. In addition, there are also diabetes tests that need to be performed routinely that include urine testing to check how well the kidneys are functioning, blood fat level testing and also testing of the kidney functioning. You may also require having blood pressure monitored and having it treated if so required.

Apart from these diabetes tests, there may also be required examining a patients feet to check whether there is any loss of sensation or whether any nerves have been damaged, and getting the eyes tested once in a couple of years would be required if results from your diabetes test warrant such testing.

The basic diabetes tests include fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, and also random plasma glucose test. You also need to be aware of how often such tests need to be performed, and in this regard, patients taking insulin injections on their own would require a self test thrice or four times in a day, while those with a type 2 diabetes problem should do so a few times in a week. And, they should change the times when the diabetes test is performed in order to get best readings.

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Diabetes Test Advice

Risk Factors

Many pregnant women with gestational diabetes lack any apparent symptoms, but for others, doctors generally recommend early diabetes testing after noticing few significant symptoms such as being overweight or obese, family history with type 2 diabetes, over 25 years, multiple conception, personal history of gestational diabetes during earlier pregnancy and belonging to specific ethnic group like American Indian, Alaska native, Asian, African American, etc.

Complications

If left untreated, gestational diabetes may lead to a wide array of complications for both the mother and the child. These may include macrosomia, a condition characterized by oversized baby; birth defects; increased risk for miscarriage; stillbirth, etc. In addition, the baby may develop a condition during which the blood glucose level of the baby falls down very rapidly following birth. The condition is referred to as hyperinsulinemia.

Essentially there are two types of gestational diabetes testing (1) oral glucose tolerance test and (2) three hour glucose tolerance test.

The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

This diabetes testing is also referred to as glucose challenge screening. This diabetes testing belongs to the routine tests during pregnancy. Typically it is done during 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy, or earlier only when you are marked with any risk factors for developing diabetic condition. During the test, you need to consume glucola, a drink consisting of 50g of glucose. The doctors take blood sample from your body after one hour to test the degree of glucose processing in your body.

The Three Hour Glucose Tolerance Test

This diabetes testing is done to either confirm the presence of diabetic condition or to rule out the possibility. This test is only done if you have obtained an unusual reading on the one hour test. For this test to be done, you need to fast for 10 to 14 hours prior to the test. Similar to oral glucose tolerance test, you need to consume drink rich in glucose. But the drink consists of 100g of glucose instead of 50g of glucose. Your blood sample is collected before you consume the drink. This is known as fasting glucose level. Additionally, blood sample is again collected following one, two and three hours gap.

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Diabetes Testing Advice And Tips