Diagnosing Diabetes

[Guest guest]

Kris,

You wrote, " Can anyone tell me what the easiest test would be to check for

diabetes? "

I checked with the American Diabetes Association who states that the fasting

blood glucose (sugar) test is the preferred way to diagnose Type 1 diabetes.

Random blood samples (if taken shortly after eating or drinking) may be used to

test for diabetes when symptoms are present. A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl

or higher indicates diabetes, but it must be reconfirmed on another day with a

fasting plasma glucose. When fasting a blood glucose stays above 110 mg/dl, but

in the range of 110-126mg/dl, this is known as impaired fasting glucose (IFG).

While patients with IFG do not have the diagnosis of diabetes, this condition

carries with it its own risks and concerns.

Though not routinely used anymore, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the

gold standard for making the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It is still commonly

used for diagnosing gestational diabetes. For the test to give reliable results,

the person must be in good health (not have any other illnesses, not even a

cold). Also, the person should be normally active (not lying down, for example,

as an inpatient in a hospital) and should not be taking medicines that could

affect the blood glucose. This makes the test not that reliable for persons with

chronic pancreatitis.

Karyn E. , RN

Executive Director, PAI

http://www.pancassociation.org

Pancreatitis Association International