A1C diabetes testing is used to measure blood glucose levels over an extended period of time in order to minimize the complications of diabetes related to prolonged periods of high blood sugar. Such complications include progressive damage to organs such as the kidneys eyes, and liver and respiratory and nervous system damage. By checking A1C, diabetic therapy can be adjusted to better address patient needs. Furthermore, A1C diabetes testing is an essential tool for newly diagnosed patients as well as pre diabetics and at risk populations.

In a study led by Dr. Elizabeth Selvin of John Hopkins University the A1C test more accurately identified people who would later develop diabetes. Of particular interest was the finding that A1C was also a predictor of stroke, heart disease, and death from diabetes. Selvin used A1C, FPG, and OGTT a population of 11,092 black and white middle-aged individuals without diabetes, over two years …

If you have a history of diabetes in your family, and you are overweight or over 40 years old, it is likely that your doctor could begin diabetes testing. Don’t worry. Diabetes testing is fairly simple, and diabetes is important to catch early. If diagnosed, your doctor will perform more diabetes testing to manage the development of the disease. Types of diabetes testing include:

• Fasting tests

• Glucose tests

• A1C tests

• Random blood tests

• Ketone Tests

Diabetes Glucose Testing

Obviously, the first part of diabetes testing is going to be the diagnosis. When testing for diabetes, doctors will use the following tests:

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test: this test measures the blood glucose levels in a person who has not eaten anything for 8 hours. It is the preferred method for testing diabetes in a person because of its convenience and low cost. However, it does cause …