Maintaining normal diabetes levels is critical for your overall health. High blood sugar levels can increase your likelihood of developing heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterised by high levels of glucose in the blood. There are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the cells that make insulin and destroys them.
Diabetes type 2 is caused by insulin resistance, where the cells in the body do not respond properly to insulin.

What is a blood sugar test or a diabetes blood test?

A diabetes test is used to determine the level of sugar available in your blood, or if you have diabetes, you can use the diabetes profile test to monitor your blood sugar levels.

Following are the diabetic profile tests that can be ordered by your doctor:

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test

It is one of the most commonly used blood glucose tests, and the person needs to fast for at least 8 hours before a blood sample is taken. If the FPG level is higher than 126 mg/dL, it is an indication of diabetes.

Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

In this test, the person drinks a glucose solution, and the blood glucose levels are checked 2 hours later. If the OGTT level is higher than 200 mg/dL, it signals diabetes.

HbA1c test

It is conducted to measure the average blood glucose level over the past 2 to 3 months and gives an idea of the blood glucose control over time. If the HbA1c level is higher than 6.5%, it is a sign of diabetes.