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Normal Blood Surgar Values Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy Article
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Tests and Exams to Determine If You Have Diabetes
Diabetes requires special tests and exams to watch blood sugar levels, and diagnosing the disease. You should always start with a thorough exam by your doctor. Then, you will be asked about your family history, if diabetes runs in the family, and other risk factors. Another question will be, what medications you are on? You will be asked if you are allergic to any medications and if you have high cholesterol or other early signs of cardiovascular disease.
One of easiest methods is a simple finger stick. This will give blood sugar levels immediately but not always as accurate as a laboratory test. A pinprick is made on a finger, a drop of blood is placed on a test strip, and then it goes into a small machine. These machines are usually the way that diabetics keep track of their levels at home. You will sometimes get an unusually high or low reading and are only accurate to within about 10 percent of the reading a laboratory would read.
Going a little further, a fasting plasma glucose test may be needed. You will need to fast the eight hours before your test is scheduled. Your blood will be drawn, usually in the morning, and your reading should not be more than 126 mg/dl. If the reading is higher, you probably have diabetes. The test may be done again on another day just to corroborate the results, or you may be asked to take a glucose tolerance test or a glycosylated hemoglobin test. These tests are more accurate and will confirm you have diabetes or you are considered prediabetic. It would mean you have a high risk of developing diabetes in the future.
The oral glucose tolerance test involves drawing blood and testing it, then drinking a drink that is sweet and two hours later you will have another blood sample drawn. If this test shows your blood glucose level to be over 200 mg/dl, you are diabetic. A reading between 140 and 200 would suggest a prediabetes condition.
The most accurate test is called the glycosylated hemoglobin test. It's a measurement of how high your sugar level has been over the last 120 days. This is the normal life span of all red blood cells. Extra glucose attaches to red blood cells and stays there for the life of the cell. It is the best measurement for people who already have diabetes. This test is being used more often as a diagnostic tool for testing for diabetes.
You may have seen advertisements on TV about monitors that don't need you to stick your finger each time you need your blood levels tested. This will make it easier for those of us, who use our fingers for our work. Using a different method needing less blood and not sticking the finger every time, makes this method best for those who need to test several times a day. Many diabetics will test their sugar levels and adjust their insulin accordingly.
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