Diabetes Glucose Test

To determine if a patient has onset or even a high risk for diabetes, a doctor will typically order and perform a diabetes diagnostic test. A diabetes glucose test is one of many tests and considerations a medical team will examine to determine if you are at risk for the symptoms of diabetes. There are a number of different methods to apply a diabetes glucose test, the most common being a fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Usually, a diabetes diagnostic test follows eight hours of fasting, as with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The FPG test is the preferred diabetes diagnostic test, and if it returns a positive result, should be followed in a few days with another FPG test to confirm the condition of pre-diabetes or onset diabetes.

The OGTT is a more sensitive test and therefore often considered a better diabetes diagnostic test to identify the existence of a pre-diabetes condition. The OGTT is a diabetes diagnostic test that involves eight hours of fasting with a glucose level check before and up to two hours following the drinking of a liquid containing a specific amount of glucose dissolved in water. An OGTT is also used as a specific diabetes diagnostic test to help identify gestational diabetes, and as with the FPG test, specific results in an OGTT must be repeated in a later test to confirm a diagnosis.

If any indication of diabetes or pre-diabetes is reached during these tests, your doctor may request that you more closely monitor your blood glucose levels with a daily or repeated diabetes glucose test performed at home, ensuring no sudden changes in your blood glucose levels. Though a diabetes glucose test is considered by most experts to be an accurate evaluation of any existing or emerging condition, other factors are also considered before making a clear diagnosis. Your medical history, presence or absence of symptoms, and even any recent illnesses are taken into account with the diabetes glucose test to make sure that your levels are not transient or fluctuating due to specific situations.

Most every diabetes glucose test is a painless procedure that is common in any endocrinologist’s office, and with an early diagnosis and proper attention to diet, exercise and medication, you will be able to live as long, happy life free from the symptoms of onset diabetes.