How Effective are Diabetes Tests?

How Effective are Diabetes Tests?

How Effective are Diabetes Tests?

Diabetes has evolved as a global epidemic. Type 2 diabetes is a major problem in the United States and other industrialized countries. It is one of the leading causes of death, heart disease, eye diseases, amputations and kidney failures in the US.

There are several tests used across the world to diagnose diabetes. Some of these tests are the Fasting Blood Glucose (sugar) Test, Random (non-fasting) Blood Glucose Test, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Test, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and Diabetes Home Screening Test. However, some of these testing procedures may not produce accurate results.

Testing Procedures for Diabetes Ineffective at Best

The HbA1c diabetes test is used to indicate the long term blood sugar levels of a person. It is also used to monitor the effects of medication, exercise and diet on the blood sugar levels. However, the test results can be affected by heavy alcohol consumption or intake of vitamin supplements. Further, some medical conditions that affect the results are:

High cholesterol levels

Liver disease

Anemia

Sickle cell disease

Kidney failure

This test has also been found to be ineffective for hemodialysis patients. It is not considered to be a true glucose test for them. A study was conducted by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center on 307 diabetics, out of which 258 were suffering from chronic kidney diseases. The study revealed that the HbA1c diabetes test underestimated actual glucose control in dialysis patients.

The HbA1c test produces inaccurate results due the extremely high blood sugar level found in diabetic dialysis patients. The test depends on the red blood cells. However, the red blood cells of hemodialysis patients do not survive for long. These patients have to be kept on medication to stimulate the production of red blood cells.

Studies also show that the Oral Glucose Diabetes Test may miss pre-diabetes and diabetes cases. Also, the results of C-Peptide test can be affected by some medications, alcohol, obesity and radio active scans.

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