Blood test is useful to diagnose pre diabetes, diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2 and gestational diabetes. Diabetes test is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.
Normally used diabetes testing
Diabetic testing is testing for glucose or sugar level in blood or plasma, commonly used tests are fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, and random plasma glucose test.
- Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test - this test is to measure blood’s plasma-glucose after fasting for at least 8 hours, thus the name fasting plasma glucose test. This test is useful to detect all types of diabetes.
- Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) - which measures blood glucose after 8 hours of fasting and 2 hours after the person drinks a glucose-containing beverage. This test is effective to diagnose all types of diabetes.
- Random plasma glucose test - also called a casual plasma glucose test, because there is no fasting required or worry about what we have eaten. This test, along with an assessment of symptoms, is used to diagnose diabetes but not pre-diabetes. However, once random plasma glucose test confirms diabetes needs to be reconfirming by FPG or OGTT.
If the test result indicates that a person has diabetes, then should be re-confirming with a second test on a different day.