What Is The Test For Blood Sugar

Why Are Blood Tests Done To Screen For Diabetes

Checking Blood Sugar (Glucose) Level | How to Use a Glucometer (Glucose Meter)

Many people who have diabetes don’t feel unwell in the early stages. By the time you get symptoms of diabetes, there may already be damage to important parts of your body. Treatment of diabetes can slow down further complications but cant usually repair this damage. This is why your healthcare provider might test you for diabetes even if you feel well.

Testing people for a condition like diabetes when they do not have any symptoms is called screening. Studies have been done to work out who is more likely to have diabetes so they can be screened.

What A1c Goal Should I Have

People will have different A1C targets, depending on their diabetes history and their general health. You should discuss your A1C target with your health care professional. Studies have shown that some people with diabetes can reduce the risk of diabetes complications by keeping A1C levels below 7 percent.

Managing blood glucose early in the course of diabetes may provide benefits for many years to come. However, an A1C level that is safe for one person may not be safe for another. For example, keeping an A1C level below 7 percent may not be safe if it leads to problems with hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose.

Less strict blood glucose control, or an A1C between 7 and 8 percentor even higher in some circumstancesmay be appropriate in people who have

limited life expectancy

How Often Should I Test My Blood Sugar Level

Your family doctor will recommend how often you should test. Testing times are based on the kind of medicine you take and on how well your blood sugar levels are controlled. Youll probably need to check your blood sugar more often at first. Youll also check it more often when you feel sick or stressed, when you change your medicine, or if youre pregnant.

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Can Other Blood Glucose Tests Be Used To Diagnose Type 2 Diabetes And Prediabetes

Yes. Health care professionals also use the fasting plasma glucose test and the OGTT to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. For these blood glucose tests used to diagnose diabetes, you must fast at least 8 hours before you have your blood drawn. If you have symptoms of diabetes, your doctor may use the random plasma glucose test, which doesnt require fasting. In some cases, health care professionals use the A1C test to help confirm the results of another blood glucose test.

Types Of Glucose Tests

Glucose testing Diabetes Health Melbourne

Several different glucose tests are commonly performed for screening and diagnosis.

Although glucose tests most often use blood or urine samples to test for and monitor diabetes, they can also be performed on samples of cerebrospinal fluid or joint fluid. Abnormal levels of glucose in the CSF or synovial fluid can be due to viral, bacterial, or fungal infections and other conditions.

If you have abnormal results on a glucose test, your doctor may want to repeat the test or have you take a different type of glucose test to confirm the results. The type of glucose test your doctor may recommend, how often its given, when and where you will receive the test, and whether you will need additional testing will depend on your unique situation.

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Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

If your test results show you have prediabetes, ask your doctor or nurse if there is a lifestyle change program offered through the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program in your community. You can also search for an online or in-person program. Having prediabetes puts you at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but participating in the program can lower your risk by as much as 58% .

Make A Note Of Your Readings

It may sound obvious, but you must record your readings. Note them down in a diary, a notebook or in your phone calendar. Some meters have software that lets you do this. You could try a diabetes app too.

You and your healthcare team can then look back over your results to see if you need to adjust your treatment.

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Can Urine Samples Be Tested For Glucose

Urine samples are routinely tested for glucose as part of a urinalysis. Additional testing is usually done to identify the cause of an abnormal urine glucose result.

Glucose usually only shows up in the urine if glucose is at sufficiently high levels in the blood that some of the excess is lost in the urine, or if there is some degree of kidney damage and the glucose is leaking out into the urine.

Order Sugar Test If You Are Diabetic

When to Check Your Blood Sugar

Many people with diabetes need to check blood sugar levels every day. If you have diabetes, be sure to talk to your doctor about the best ways to manage your disease. There are many other tests also need to do regularly, along with your sugar test.

HbA1c Test

Sugar Test Normal Range

Random blood sugar test. A blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter 11.1 millimoles per litre or higher suggests diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar test. A fasting blood sugar level of less than 100 mg/dL is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL is considered prediabetes. If its 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes.
Oral glucose tolerance test. A blood sugar level of less than 140 mg/dL is normal. A reading of over 200 mg/dL after two hours shows diabetes. A reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL shows prediabetes.

Any risk of doing a sugar test at the lab?

No. Sugar test at the lab are always recommended than home sugar kit testing. There is a minor risk to having a blood test. You may have slight pain or bruise at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.

Where I can get sugar test done at Pune?

healthcare nt sickcare laboratory in Aundh is the best place to get your sugar test done if you are based in Pune or Pimpri Chinchwad. Call on +91 9766060629 to book your test offline with healthcare nt sickcare lab or you can also visit this link to book your sugar test online.

Blood Sugar Test Cost in Pune

Sugar Test Name

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When Is It Ordered

Screening and Diagnosis

The American Diabetes Association recommends diabetes screening when you are age 45 or older. Several health organizations, including the ADA, recommend screening when you have risk factors, regardless of age. You may be at risk if you:

Are overweight, obese, or physically inactive
Have a close relative with diabetes, such as parent, siblings, aunt or uncle
Are a woman who delivered a baby weighing more than 9 pounds or who has a history of gestational diabetes
A woman with polycystic ovary syndrome
Are of a high-risk race or ethnicity, such as African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander
Have high blood pressure or are taking medication for high blood pressure
Have a low HDL cholesterol level and/or a high triglyceride level
Have prediabetes identified by previous testing
Have a history of cardiovascular disease

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for abnormal blood glucose as part of a risk assessment for cardiovascular disease in adults ages 40 to 70 who are overweight or obese.

If the screening test result is within normal limits, the ADA and USPSTF recommend rescreening every 3 years. People with prediabetes may be monitored with annual testing.

A blood glucose test may also be ordered when you have signs and symptoms of abnormal blood glucose levels.

High blood glucose :

Blurred vision

Symptoms Signs Causes Of Levels Of High Blood Sugar In The Blood

High blood sugar or hyperglycemia is an abnormally high blood sugar level in the blood. Hyperglycemia is a hallmark sign of diabetes and prediabetes.

Signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia include blurred vision, headaches, hunger, and …

The normal ranges for blood sugar levels in adults who do not have diabetes while fasting are 72-99 mg/dL. These ranges may increase to 80-130 mg/dL for those being treated for diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes should have

blood sugar levels of 80-130 mg/dL before eating a meal , and
less than 180 mg/dL about 1-2 hours after eating a meal

High blood sugar ranges for people who dont have diabetes begin at 140 mg/dL, while those being treated for diabetes have a high range beginning at 180 mg/dL.

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How To Lower Blood Sugar For A Blood Test

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Small Changes In Temperature Equipment Or Sample Handling

Even when the same blood sample is repeatedly measured in the same lab, the results may vary because of small changes in temperature, equipment, or sample handling. These factors tend to affect glucose measurementsfasting and OGTTmore than the A1C test.

Health care professionals understand these variations and repeat lab tests for confirmation. Diabetes develops over time, so even with variations in test results, health care professionals can tell when overall blood glucose levels are becoming too high.

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Normal Range Of Blood Sugar Levels

The normal range of blood glucose levels for individuals with diabetes is between 80 and 130 milligrams per deciliter . When levels are too low, the person may experience hypoglycemia, which is characterized by shakiness, sweating, dizziness, or confusion. When blood sugar levels are too high, the person may experience hyperglycemia, which is characterized as extreme thirst and urination and blurred vision. Blood glucose levels can be checked by pricking a finger to get a drop of blood and putting it on a glucose meter.

The normal blood sugar range is between 80-120 mg/dL .

How To Do A Finger

Your healthcare team will show you how to do it the first time, but these are the key steps:

Wash your hands with soap and warm water. Dont use wet wipes as the glycerine in them can affect the test result. Make sure your hands are warm so its easier to get blood and wont hurt as much.
Take a test strip and slot it into the meter to turn it on. Some meters will have tests strips built in.
Remove the cap from your finger prick device and put in a new lancet. Then put the cap back on and set the device by pulling or clicking the plunger.
Choose which finger to prick but avoid your thumb or index finger . And dont prick the middle, or too close to a nail. Place the device against the side of your finger and press the plunger. Use a different finger each time and a different area.
Take your meter with the test strip and hold it against the drop of blood. Itll tell you if the test strip is filled, usually by beeping.
Before you look at your reading, check your finger. Use a tissue to stop bleeding, then use it to take out the lancet and throw it away in your sharps bin.
You can use the same tissue to take out the test strip and throw that away too. Taking out the strip will usually turn the meter off.

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Testing Times For Type 2 Diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes taking supplementary insulin often test several times day, including:

Before all meals
Before going to bed.

You may be able to test less frequently if you are only taking intermediate- or long-acting forms of insulin. Individuals managing their diabetes with oral medications and lifestyle changes rather than insulin are not required to test daily.

Fasting Plasma Glucose Test

What is A Normal Blood Glucose?

A fasting plasma glucose test is taken after at least eight hours of fasting and is therefore usually taken in the morning.

The NICE guidelines regard a fasting plasma glucose result of 5.5 to 6.9 mmol/l as putting someone at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when accompanied by other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

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When Should I Test My Blood Sugar

You may need to check your blood sugar several times a day, such as before meals or exercise, at bedtime, before driving, and when you think your blood sugar levels are low.

Everyone is different, so ask your doctor when and how often you should check your blood sugar. If you’re sick, you’ll probably need to test your blood sugar more often.

The Role Of Glucose Testing

There are several different reasons a doctor may recommend glucose testing for you. These include screening, diagnosis, and monitoring.

Screening

Screening means using tests to find health problems before those problems cause any symptoms or signs that you or your doctor might notice.

If you are over 40, overweight or obese, or have a heightened risk of developing diabetes, your doctor may order one or more screening glucose tests to find prediabetes or diabetes. People with prediabetes have glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is the use of tests and procedures to determine what underlying health condition might be causing noticeable signs and symptoms.

If you have symptoms of diabetes, high blood sugar, or low blood sugar, your doctor may order glucose testing for you. Glucose testing may be accompanied by other blood or urine tests to make an accurate diagnosis.

Monitoring

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor may want you to track your blood glucose levels with an at-home glucose testing or monitoring device. Your doctor may also recommend periodic laboratory testing during check-ups to learn how your condition is being managed.

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Best Talking: Prodigy No Coding Blood Glucose Test Strips

Courtesy of Amazon

No control solution included

If you’re visually impaired, trying to read a glucometer several times a day can feel really frustrating. Fortunately, this monitor can guide you through the testing process and read your results aloud for you. It communicates in four different languagesEnglish, Spanish, French, and Arabic.

Its one of the best glucose monitors in terms of accuracy, so you feel confident in your reading. It doesnt require you to code new test strips each time, either.

This kit includes the Prodigy Autocode blood glucose monitoring system, 100 test strips, an adjustable depth lancing device, 10 twist-top lancets, two batteries, a carrying case, a data logbook, and a user manual. The device itself can store up to 450 readings in its internal memory, and it has a standard USB port that enables you to download your test data to your computer for easier management.

Result Speed: 7 seconds | Included in Kit: 100 test strips, meter, lancing device, lancets, batteries, carrying case

Tests For Blood Sugar And Hba1c

In this series

Blood sugar measurements are used to diagnose diabetes. They are also used to monitor glucose control for those people who are already known to have diabetes.

Tests for Blood Sugar and HbA1c

When Is The Best Time To Check Blood Sugar

You should discuss the best time to check blood sugar and how often with your doctor. Still, here’s an overview.

When measuring fasting blood sugar, as soon as you wake up is typically the best time to test. You should check either two hours after a meal or before eating since that’s when your blood sugar levels are generally in the normal range.

A1c Tests Can Be Affected By Changes In Red Blood Cells Or Hemoglobin

Conditions that change the life span of red blood cells, such as recent blood loss, sickle cell disease, erythropoietin treatment, hemodialysis, or transfusion, can change A1C levels.

A falsely high A1C result can occur in people who are very low in iron for example, those with iron-deficiency anemia. Other causes of false A1C results include kidney failure or liver disease.

If youre of African, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian descent or have family members with sickle cell anemia or a thalassemia, an A1C test can be unreliable for diagnosing or monitoring diabetes and prediabetes. People in these groups may have a different type of hemoglobin, known as a hemoglobin variant, which can interfere with some A1C tests. Most people with a hemoglobin variant have no symptoms and may not know that they carry this type of hemoglobin. Health care professionals may suspect interferencea falsely high or low resultwhen your A1C and blood glucose test results dont match.

Not all A1C tests are unreliable for people with a hemoglobin variant. People with false results from one type of A1C test may need a different type of A1C test to measure their average blood glucose level. The NGSP provides information for health care professionals about which A1C tests are appropriate to use for specific hemoglobin variants.