Diabetic Screen and Haemoglobin

A diabetic screening is mostly a screening for an early diagnosis for diabetes. Sometimes people with diabetes may not show any symptoms, which makes it unpredictable. It is essential as an earlier diagnosis of diabetes would give you a better chance to decrease the risk of its complications and to treat it appropriately.

A diabetic screening test is a good preventative measure for catching on the development of diabetes at a very early stage. The result can be used to seek more medical advice from doctors. There are numerous tests to be done in a diabetic screen test.

• A1C test (HbA1c test)
• The fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test
• The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
• Random plasma glucose (RPG) test

Diabetic test is used to have an early diagnosis on diabetes in order to decrease the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose or blood sugar levels are too high. Glucose comes from the food we like carbs such as bread or rice and it is vital for our health as it is an important source of energy for the cells that forms the muscles and tissues. It is also the brain’s source of fuel.

It involves problems with hormone insulin which is released from the pancreas to help the body to store and utilize glucose. Diabetes occurs when there is a problem with the pancreas especially when it produces little to no insulin at all, having the too much glucose in your blood will lead to serious health issues such as hyperglycemia.

The exact cause of diabetes is still unknown till now, though there are many factors that may increase the risk of having diabetes:

• Weight: Being overweight may increase the risk
• Age: The risk may increase as you get older
• Inactivity: The less active you are, the greater the risk as physical activity will help control your weight and uses glucose as energy
• High Blood Pressure: Having a blood pressure over 140/90 millimetres of mercury may increase the risk for diabetes

Genes and Family History: If you have a parent or a sibling who suffer diabetes may affect other members

Fasting blood sugar test

Fasting blood sugar tests involves having your blood drawn after you’ve fasted overnight, which usually means not eating for 8 to 12 hours:

• Results of less than 100 mg/dL are normal.
• Results between 100 and 125 mg/dL indicate prediabetes.
• Results equal to or greater than 126 mg/dL after two tests indicate diabetes.
• Oral glucose tolerance test

The oral glucose test (OGTT) takes place over the course of two hours. Your blood sugar is tested initially, and then you’re given a sugary drink. After two hours, your blood sugar levels are tested again:

Results of less than 140 mg/dL are normal. Results between 140 and 199 mg/dL indicate prediabetes. Results equal to or greater than 200 mg/dL indicate diabetes.

There are several symptoms of diabetes, all of which affects differently according to the type of diabetes they have

• Increased thirst and urination
• Increased hunger
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Sores that do not heal
• Unexplained weight loss

The first is an initial glucose challenge test. This test involves drinking a glucose syrup solution. Blood is drawn after an hour to measure blood sugar levels. A result of 130 to 140 mg/dL or less is considered normal. A higher-than-usual reading indicates the need for further testing. The follow-up glucose tolerance testing involves not eating anything overnight. An initial blood sugar level is measured.  The blood sugar is then checked hourly for three hours.  The second test involves doing a two-hour glucose tolerance test, similar to the one described above. One out-of-range value would be diagnostic for gestational diabetes using this test.