Diabetes Blood Test :: Diagnosing Diabetes
It is important to find out if you are suffering from diabetes disease

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In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

In the OGTT test, a person's blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the person tested has pre-diabetes. If the two-hour blood glucose level is at 200 mg/dl or higher, the person tested has diabetes.

• Fasting Blood Glucose Level - You need to fast for at least 12 hours or more the night before your blood sample is taken next in the morning. Although you are not allowed to eat, drinking plain water is permissible.  The fasting blood glucose reveals the true glucose level in your blood.

• Blood Glucose Levels - The table below shows a comparison of blood glucose levels between fasting blood sample and random blood sample.

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test - The purpose of this test is to determine the ability of the body to handle excess sugar after drinking a high dose of glucose drink. At the start of this test, your doctor will take your fasting blood glucose reading. Then, you will be given 75 gram of glucose with 200-300 ml of water. For the next two hours, blood sample will be taken every half hour to determine the blood glucose levels. With these values, a glucose tolerance graph will be plotted and your doctor will check if there is any deviation from normal result.

• Hemoglobin A_1C (HbA_1C) Test - You may also need to have your blood tested for glycosylated hemoglobin, an altered form of the pigment in red blood cell.  Hemoglobin can be found in red blood cells and they function to carry oxygen throughout the body.  When the glucose level in the blood is too high, the sugar will bind to the hemoglobin.  The glucose can stay attached to the hemoglobin until the blood cell dies which is about 3 months.  By measuring your HbA_1C level, you will be able to know how high your blood glucose has been over the last 2-3 months.
  
  The table below shows the average blood glucose levels represented by the HbA_1C value. The ideal range for HbA_1C value is generally less than 7 percent.  Above 9 percent means poor blood glucose control.

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