What Is The Blood Test For Diabetes?

What Is The Blood Test For Diabetes
HbA1c – An HbA1c test is the main blood test used to diagnose diabetes. It tests your average blood sugar levels for the last two to three months. You don’t need to prepare for a HbA1c, It’s a quick and simple test where a small amount of blood is taken from a vein in your arm.

This is different to a finger-prick test, which is a snapshot of your blood sugar levels at that moment.
You’ll normally get the test results in a few days.
From these results, your healthcare professional will be able to see if you have diabetes.
If you didn’t have any of the symptoms of diabetes before you were tested, you’ll need to have the test again to confirm the result.

You have diabetes if your HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol or above. You are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (often known as prediabetes ) if your HbA1c is between 42 and 48mmol/mol.

Does a normal blood test detect diabetes?

Diagnosing Diabetes – Much of the time, a simple blood test that evaluates your current blood glucose level is the first step in diagnosing diabetes. If the blood test reveals that your level is above 125 mg/dl, your doctor will ask you to repeat the test on a different day to confirm a diabetes diagnosis.

Or your doctor may immediately order an A1C test, which measures your average blood glucose (sugar) levels over the last three months.
The test looks at the amount of glucose that has attached to the red blood cells as they move through the bloodstream.
The more glucose in the blood, the higher the A1C percentage.

The higher the A1C, the more damage is occurring to your large and small blood vessels. Especially for those who have diabetes, the A1C test gives you a better picture overall than just a single blood test that measures only your current level of blood glucose that day.

A normal A1C level ranges from 4.5 to 5.6 percent for someone who doesn’t have diabetes.
When the A1C test is used for diagnosing diabetes, an A1C level above 6.4 percent on two separate tests indicates diabetes.
For those with diabetes, doctors often recommend an A1C level of 7 percent or less for optimal well-being.

For more information about diabetes, please call the at, : Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Diabetes

What is the normal range for blood sugar?

Tests for type 1 and type 2 diabetes and prediabetes –

Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test, which doesn’t require not eating for a period of time (fasting), shows your average blood sugar level for the past 2 to 3 months. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you’ll have with sugar attached. An A1C level of 6.5% or higher on two separate tests means that you have diabetes. An A1C between 5.7% and 6.4% means that you have prediabetes. Below 5.7% is considered normal. Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time. No matter when you last ate, a blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) — 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) — or higher suggests diabetes. Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after you haven’t eaten anything the night before (fast). A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it’s 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes. Oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, you fast overnight. Then, the fasting blood sugar level is measured. Then you drink a sugary liquid, and blood sugar levels are tested regularly for the next two hours. A blood sugar level less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. A reading of more than 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) after two hours means you have diabetes. A reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L) means you have prediabetes.

If your provider thinks you may have type 1 diabetes, they may test your urine to look for the presence of ketones. Ketones are a byproduct produced when muscle and fat are used for energy. Your provider will also probably run a test to see if you have the destructive immune system cells associated with type 1 diabetes called autoantibodies.

What diabetes test is most accurate?

– The A1C is considered the frontline test for diabetes, having first been recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2010, according to Dr. David B. Sacks, a member of the College of American Pathologists’ Clinical Chemistry Resources Committee.

The test is useful for long-term detection of blood sugar because glucose binds with red blood cells and remains affixed for up to 120 days, he said. Chang Villacreses said that the A1C test has become the standard analysis because it’s much easier to administer than the glucose tolerance test, which requires people to spend a minimum of two hours in the lab.

“Not everyone has that kind of time,” she said. “The A1C test is much easier but not as accurate,” said Chang Villacreses. “We suggest that care of each patient has to be individualized.” For example, she said, follow up with the glucose tolerance test when people at high risk of diabetes because of age, weight, diet, inactivity, family history, or other risk factors test negative on an A1C test.

“That’s a very practical solution and I’d definitely support that,” said Sacks. He also suggested that doing a fasting glucose test — which requires only a single blood test and a shorter fasting window — in conjunction with the A1C tests could yield more accurate results. People with an A1C blood sugar level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests are considered to have diabetes.

An A1C blood sugar of between 5.7 and 6.4 percent indicates prediabetes. Below 5.7 is considered normal, according to ADA guidelines, With the glucose tolerance test, a blood sugar level of less than 140 mg/dL is considered normal. Between 140 and 199 mg/dL is considered prediabetes, and more than 200 indicates diabetes.

What is a good blood sugar level by age?

Normal Sugar Level in Children & Teens Who are Diabetic –

Chart of Normal Blood Sugar Levels in Children AgeWise
Age	Normal Blood Sugar Levels After Fasting (FBS)	Sugar Levels Before Meal (Food)	Normal Sugar Levels After 1 to 2 Hours of Eating Food	Sugar Levels at Bedtime
6 years old	>80 to 180 mg/dL	100 to 180 mg/dL	180 mg/dL	110 to 200 mg/dL
6 to 12 years	>80 to 180 mg/dL	90 to 180 mg/dL	Up to 140 mg/dL	100 to 180 mg/dL
13 to 19 years	>70 to 150 mg/dL	90 to 130 mg/dL	Up to 140 mg/dL	90 to 150 mg/dL

What are the 3 early signs of diabetes?

What is type 1 diabetes? A Mayo Clinic expert explains – Learn more about type 1 diabetes from endocrinologist Yogish Kudva, M.B.B.S. I’m Dr. Yogish C. Kudva an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic. In this video, we’ll cover the basics of type 1 diabetes. What is it? Who gets it? The symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

Whether you’re looking for answers for yourself or someone you love.
We are here to give you the best information available.
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the insulin making cells of the pancreas.
It’s estimated that about 1.25 million Americans live with it.
People with type 1 diabetes don’t make enough insulin.

An important hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin allows your cells to store sugar or glucose and fat and produce energy. Unfortunately, there is no known cure. But treatment can prevent complications and also improve everyday life for patients with type 1 diabetes.

Lots of people with type 1 diabetes live a full life. And the more we learn and develop treatment for the disorder, the better the outcome. We don’t know what exactly causes type 1 diabetes. We believe that it is an auto-immune disorder where the body mistakenly destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Typically, the pancreas secretes insulin into the bloodstream. The insulin circulates, letting sugar enter your cells. This sugar or glucose, is the main source of energy for cells in the brain, muscle cells, and other tissues. However, once most insulin producing cells are destroyed, the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin, meaning the glucose can’t enter the cells, resulting in an excess of blood sugar floating in the bloodstream.

This can cause life-threatening complications. And this condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis. Although we don’t know what causes it, we do know certain factors can contribute to the onset of type 1 diabetes. Family history. Anyone with a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes has a slightly increased risk of developing it.

Genetics. The presence of certain genes can also indicate an increased risk. Geography. Type 1 diabetes becomes more common as you travel away from the equator. Age, although it can occur at any age there are two noticeable peaks. The first occurs in children between four and seven years of age and the second is between 10 and 14 years old.

Signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes can appear rather suddenly, especially in children. They may include increased thirst, frequent urination, bed wetting in children who previously didn’t wet the bed. Extreme hunger, unintended weight loss, fatigue and weakness, blurred vision, irritability, and other mood changes.

If you or your child are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor. The best way to determine if you have type 1 diabetes is a blood test. There are different methods such as an A1C test, a random blood sugar test, or a fasting blood sugar test.

They are all effective and your doctor can help determine what’s appropriate for you. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may order additional tests to check for antibodies that are common in type 1 diabetes in the test called C-peptide, which measures the amount of insulin produced when checked simultaneously with a fasting glucose.

These tests can help distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes when a diagnosis is uncertain. If you have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you may be wondering what treatment looks like. It could mean taking insulin, counting carbohydrates, fat protein, and monitoring your glucose frequently, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly to maintain a healthy weight.

Generally, those with type 1 diabetes will need lifelong insulin therapy.
There are many different types of insulin and more are being developed that are more efficient.
And what you may take may change.
Again, your doctor will help you navigate what’s right for you.
A significant advance in treatment from the last several years has been the development and availability of continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps that automatically adjust insulin working with the continuous glucose monitor.

Which is more accurate HbA1c or fasting glucose?

METHODS – This cross-sectional population based study was carried out in Kerman city, which is the center of the largest province in south east of Iran. Considering 80% as the minimum sensitivity and specificity of HbA1c in the prediction of FBS>126mg/dl, precision of 3% and significant level of 95%, sample size of 600 people were computed. A total number of 604 individuals were recruited. The city is divided into 30 postal areas. Participants were recruited through a proportional cluster sampling across the city. In each household, people between 18 and 75 years were informed verbally about the study objectives and were requested for their participation. All participants who were invited to participate in the study, agreed for collaboration. They were given a written formal consent form. Since subjects were requested to attend in our reference laboratory for taking blood samples, those who could not attend or did not consent were excluded. The data were collected through a structural face to face interview and laboratory tests. Data collection form included two main sections, the demographic characteristics and also some questions about history of diabetes and taking medications. FBS was measured once using enzyme method and the cutoff point of 126 mg/dl.2 was considered as diagnostic criterion for the diabetes. In order to measure HbA1c, we used Biosystem kit. The cutoff point of 6%, based on the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, 18 was considered as diagnostic criterion for diabetes at the beginning. Then, we checked the sensitivity and specificity of other cutoff points using ROC curve to optimize the accuracy of HbA1c in detection of FBS>126 mg/dl. Afterwards, parameters including sensitivity, specificity, predictive values (positive and negative), and the chance of detecting diabetes and the chance of ruling out diabetes before and after test were calculated. Data were analyzed from descriptive and analytical point of view using Stata software, version 10. The Pearson correlation coefficient between HbA1c and FBS was estimated in the whole sample, and in sub-groups (diabetics versus non-diabetics). In order to explore the effects of possible confounder, in the univariate analysis, the association between each variable and the FBS and also HbA1c was checked. Variables with univariate p value <0.1 were entered in multivariate analysis.

What is the gold standard for diabetes screening?

The glucose tolerance test, but not HbA(1c), remains the gold standard in identifying unrecognized diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in hypertensive subjects. Angiology.2005 Sep-Oct;56(5):571-9. doi: 10.1177/000331970505600508.

Is HbA1c the best test for diabetes?

Recommendation – HbA1c can be used as a diagnostic test for diabetes providing that stringent quality assurance tests are in place and assays are standardised to criteria aligned to the international reference values, and there are no conditions present which preclude its accurate measurement.

An HbA1c of 6.5% is recommended as the cut point for diagnosing diabetes. A value of less than 6.5% does not exclude diabetes diagnosed using glucose tests. Quality of evidence assessed by GRADE: moderate Strength of recommendation based on GRADE criteria: conditional Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was initially identified as an “unusual” haemoglobin in patients with diabetes over 40 years ago ( 12 ).

After that discovery, numerous small studies were conducted correlating it to glucose measurements resulting in the idea that HbA1c could be used as an objective measure of glycaemic control. The A1C-Derived Average Glucose (ADAG) study included 643 participants representing a range of A1C levels.

It established a validated relationship between A1C and average glucose across a range of diabetes types and patient populations ( 13 ).
HbA1c was introduced into clinical use in the 1980s and subsequently has become a cornerstone of clinical practice ( 14 ).
HbA1c reflects average plasma glucose over the previous eight to 12 weeks ( 15 ).

It can be performed at any time of the day and does not require any special preparation such as fasting. These properties have made it the preferred test for assessing glycaemic control in people with diabetes. More recently, there has been substantial interest in using it as a diagnostic test for diabetes and as a screening test for persons at high risk of diabetes ( 16 ).

Owing in large part to the inconvenience of measuring fasting plasma glucose levels or performing an OGTT, and day-to-day variability in glucose, an alternative to glucose measurements for the diagnosis of diabetes has long been sought. HbA1c has now been recommended by an International Committee and by the ADA as a means to diagnose diabetes ( 16 ).

Although it gives equal or almost equal sensitivity and specificity to a fasting or post-load glucose measurement as a predictor of prevalent retinopathy ( 17 ), it is not available in many parts of the world. Also, many people identified as having diabetes based on HbA1c will not have diabetes by direct glucose measurement and vice versa.

The relationship between HbA1c and prevalent retinopathy is similar to that of plasma glucose, whether glucose and HbA1c are plotted in deciles ( 18 ), in vigintiles ( Figure 1 ) or as continuous variables ( Figure 2 ).
This relationship was originally reported in the Pima Indians ( 19 ) and has also been observed in several other populations including Egyptians ( 20 ), the NHANES study in the USA ( 21 ), in Japanese ( 22 ) and more recently in the DETECT-2 analysis ( Figures 1 and 2 ).

Overall, the performance of HbA1c has been similar to that of fasting or 2-h plasma glucose. For all three measures of glycaemia, the value above which the prevalence of retinopathy begins to rise rapidly has differed to some extent between studies. Although HbA1c gives equal or almost equal sensitivity and specificity to glucose measurement as a predictor of prevalent retinopathy, it is not available in many parts of the world and in general, it is not known which is the better for predicting microvascular complications.