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Diabetes refers to a
disease that is related with high blood sugar. This high
blood sugar is a result of unresponsiveness of the cells to
the insulin produced inside the body or the body not
producing enough insulin. Since insulin is majorly
responsible for synthesizing glucose into energy. So the
human body is unable to function properly especially when it
comes to daily chores.
The advanced types of
Diabetes such as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes cannot be cured.
Although medications are available for controlling this
condition but permanent treatment is not possible for this
disease. So the only treatment left is prevention. A healthy
lifestyle, balanced diet, regular exercise can help in
preventing this disease. A major factor for this disease is
that it is considered as hereditary. So if one or both of
your parents had it you have more chances of having it
sometime in future. This is both a risk factor and can very
well contribute towards early prevention of this disease.
Early prevention from
this disease is possible through diabetes testing. Diabetes
testing is the only way through which this disease can be
diagnosed in early stages where treatment is possible. In
fact in most of the patients there are no symptoms of this
disease until it advances to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
Early treatment can save patients from many complications
such as hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, nonketotic
hyperosmolar coma, cardiovascular disease, chronic renal
failure and retinal damage etc.
Diabetes testing is a
must for people having a family history of diabetes. Apart
from that if you experience one or some of the symptoms of
pre diabetes, diabetes testing becomes essential. These
symptoms include frequent urination, increased hunger,
increased thirst, numbness or tingling in hands and feet,
unexplained weight loss or weight gain etc. There are a
number of tests that can be undertaken for diabetes testing.
Fasting plasma glucose
test (FPG) or casual plasma glucose is one of the primary
tests performed for diabetes testing. FPG is performed after
a fasting period of at least eight hours, after which blood
is drawn and sent to laboratory for analysis. For normal
persons the results must be blood sugar level must be
between 70-100 mg/dl. Whereas for diabetes patients the
results are equal to or greater than 126 mg/dl.
Even if your blood
sugar is normal, you might be advised to take a Glucose
tolerance test. This method is also very popular during
pregnancy for diagnosis of gestational diabetes or for
people who have symptoms of diabetes or have risk factors
for diabetes. A casual Plasma Glucose test is also sometimes
performed to diagnose diabetes. This test is similar in
nature to the FPG but does not require the patient to fast
for eight hours. If the blood sugar level is greater than
200 mg/dl, it is an indication of diabetes. However, the
results can be confirmed by taking the test again at a later
time period. Through these tests, diabetes can definitely be
diagnosed and precautions can be taken at early stages of
the disease. |
