Are You a Diabetes Patient?

Diabetes is a common health disorder in the United States. It is estimated that over 16 million Americans are suffering from diabetes and 5.4 million are not aware of their existing disease. The reason may be lack of knowledge about the disease. Now a question arises-who should be tested for diabetes?

According to the American Diabetes Association, you should go for blood glucose screening or diabetes test if you have any of the risk factors given below:
• If you are overweight i.e. with a BMI above 25
• If you are 45 or above
• If you had a family history of diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome
• If you have hypertension
• If you possess abnormal cholesterol levels i.e. HDL cholesterol below 35mg/dl (0.9 mmol/L) or triglyceride level above 250 mg/dl (2.83 mmol/L)

Furthermore to confirm the occurrence of diabetes, you can go for certain diagnostic tests:-

Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test: - It is used to know the average blood sugar level for the past two or three months. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin and oxygen carrying protein in RBCs. If A1C level is between 6 and 6.5 then the person is suffering from prediabetes. However if it is above 6.5% then it indicates diabetes.

Drawbacks: - It may give inaccurate results of you are pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin

Fasting blood sugar test: - This test is performed when a person fast for at least 8 hours or overnight. If blood sugar level of the person is lower than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) -5.6 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), then the person is completely normal. However if the level is from 100 to 125 mg/dL, the he or she must be having diabetes.

Oral glucose tolerance test: - This test is also performed when a person fast for at least 8 hours or overnight. After that, you have to drink a sugary solution so that your blood sugar level will be measured again after two hours. A blood sugar level less than 140mg/dL is considered to be completely normal. However a blood sugar level from 140 to 199 mg/dL indicates prediabetes.