Why get tested for diabetes

If you have diabetes, the GP will explain the test results and what will happen next. If you're diagnosed with diabetes What the GP will discuss with you during your appointment depends on the diagnosis and the treatment they recommend. Generally, they'll talk to you about: what diabetes is what high blood sugar means for your health whether you need to take medicine your diet and exercise your lifestyle — for example, alcohol and smoking Important The GP will do their best to discuss the diagnosis with you, but this first appointment might only be 10 to 15 minutes.

Sometimes health care professionals use the RPG test to diagnose diabetes when diabetes symptoms are present and they do not want to wait until you have fasted. You do not need to fast overnight for the RPG test. You may have this blood test at any time. Pregnant women may have the glucose challenge test, the oral glucose tolerance test, or both.

These tests show how well your body handles glucose. If you are pregnant and a health care professional is checking you for gestational diabetes, you may first receive the glucose challenge test. Another name for this test is the glucose screening test. In this test, a health care professional will draw your blood 1 hour after you drink a sweet liquid containing glucose. You do not need to fast for this test. If your blood glucose is too high— to or more—you may need to return for an oral glucose tolerance test while fasting.

The OGTT measures blood glucose after you fast for at least 8 hours. First, a health care professional will draw your blood. Then you will drink the liquid containing glucose. For diagnosing gestational diabetes, you will need your blood drawn every hour for 2 to 3 hours. High blood glucose levels at any two or more blood test times during the OGTT—fasting, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 3 hours—mean you have gestational diabetes. Your health care team will explain what your OGTT results mean.

Health care professionals also can use the OGTT to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in people who are not pregnant. However, the OGTT is a more expensive test and is not as easy to give. To diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, a health care professional will need to draw your blood 1 hour after you drink the liquid containing glucose and again after 2 hours.

This measures your blood sugar after an overnight fast not eating. This measures your blood sugar before and after you drink a liquid that contains glucose.

Source: American Diabetes Association. If your doctor thinks you have type 1 diabetes, your blood may also tested for autoantibodies substances that indicate your body is attacking itself that are often present in type 1 diabetes but not in type 2 diabetes. You may have your urine tested for ketones produced when your body burns fat for energy , which also indicate type 1 diabetes instead of type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed using blood tests.

If your risk is higher for getting gestational diabetes due to having more risk factors , your doctor may test you earlier. In fact, type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed through blood tests for other conditions or health issues instead. If you feel very unwell or your symptoms have come on quickly seek an urgent appointment with your GP or call NHS If diabetes is confirmed by the results of a blood test the type of diabetes you have is usually determined by factors like weight , age at diagnosis, family history and how quickly any symptoms came on.

Following this you may be sent to hospital for further assessment. We will explain below the different blood tests that could be used to diagnose your diabetes.

Your doctor will ask you about any symptoms you have and will then decide which type of blood test to use. Depending on the test you have you may be required to fast beforehand. If you do need to fast, a healthcare professional will let you know in advance. 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. This is different to a finger-prick test, which is a snapshot of your blood sugar levels at that moment.

From these results, your healthcare professional will be able to see if you have diabetes. If you have severe symptoms of diabetes, you may have a random blood test at any time of the day. This is a quick test, through a finger-prick or a vein in your arm. You or your loved one have diabetes if your blood glucose levels are But any diagnosis from a finger prick test will need to be confirmed by a blood test sent to a laboratory for results.

This is another blood test used to diagnose diabetes. It is sometimes called a fasting plasma glucose test or FPG for short. A nurse will take some blood from a vein in your arm.