Diabetes - How Can It Be Diagnosed & Treated?

The A1C or Glycated Hemoglobin test is a blood test used to determine the average blood sugar level of a person over the past 2-3 months. Also known as the Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), the test is also used to measure the percentage of blood glucose that remains attached to hemoglobin. The higher the blood glucose level, the more will be the attachment with a high value of A1C. In case of diabetes, the AC1 test level will be 65% or higher. Pregnant women should refrain from undergoing the A1C test.

Administration of insulin (in the form of injections or pumps) is often recommended for patients with Type-1 Diabetes. The insulin administered through injections include a combination of long-acting insulin (shows its effect within 1-2 hours that lasts for 24 hours and more) with rapid-acting insulin (shows its effect within few minutes that lasts for 2-4 hours). This combination of insulin when used goes a long way to keep the blood glucose level within control. In most of the cases, the doctors recommend the use of insulin injections 2-3 times daily.

For OGTT, a person is made to drink a solution containing glucose. The blood glucose level is then measured and analyzed for the next 3 hours, at every 30-50 minutes interval. Normal range is 140 mg/dL after 2 hours and in case of Diabetes is 200 mg/dL or more after 2 hours Before the OGTT, a person must undergo the fasting blood sugar test.