Private Blood Tests for Diabetes: What to Expect

You can undertake a blood test to measure the level of sugar or glucose in your blood. Private blood tests in London offer diagnosis of individuals for diabetes. We consume carbohydrates in our diet. Our body converts these carbohydrates into glucose and stores them for future. This glucose breaks down to produce energy in our body during our activities.

Too high or too low glucose level creates a physiological imbalance in our body. This can lead to unusual health symptoms in our body. We must undertake private blood tests to diagnose ourselves for diabetes in such cases. 

Who should test for diabetes?

Diabetes is a common health problem that may be mild at early stages. It may turn chronic in course of time. We usually undertake a blood sugar test to diagnose different types of diabetes in our body. These may include type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes. The main physiological symptom of diabetes is a high blood sugar level.

You can undertake routine blood tests to detect your blood sugar level. However, it is not easy to detect diabetes at an early stage. This is because our body may show mild or subtle symptoms.     

Symptoms Indicating Diabetes

You need to ensure certain symptoms in your body before taking a blood sugar test. These signs will help you decide if you actually have diabetes. The following signs or symptoms indicate the occurrence of diabetes in your body:

·       Tiredness and exhaustion all the time

·       Frequent feeling of thirst

·       Increased appetite; feeling of frequent hunger even after routine meals

·       An increase in the frequency of urination

·       A blurry vision

·       Slow recovery from cuts or sores

Certain other factors also characterise diabetes like:

·       Overweight

·       Hereditary background of diabetes

·       High blood pressure

·       Experiencing a PCOS

·       Not performing regular physical activities

You should also consider these cases for undertaking a diabetes test.

Tests for Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2

Private blood tests in London offer you diagnosis of type 1 diagnosis. They consider certain blood markers that indicate your risks towards type 1 diabetes. You can get these blood tests to examine your health risks even before the occurrence of any such symptoms.

If the blood test results detect you with type 1 diabetes, they offer tests for type 2 diabetes as well. Diabetes screening of type 1 allows you to identify risks of type 2 diabetes. The assessment of your blood ketone levels and C-peptide tests are useful for testing your type 1 and type 2 diabetes.     

Types of Blood Test for Diagnosing Diabetes

Your diabetes test includes the assessment of your blood sugar levels. The following kinds of blood test can detect diabetes:

·       A1c Test:

This A1c test allows you to assess your blood sugar levels over time. It does not require any kind of fasting before taking the test. This test measures the level of attachment of your body glucose to the haemoglobin on your red blood cells.

·       Random Blood Sugar Test:

The name itself suggests you can take this blood test at any random time. The time of your last meal does not matter in this blood test. However, the results of this diabetes test do not measure your blood sugar level accurately.

·       Fasting Blood Sugar Test:

This test involves drawing your blood after an overnight fast. This fasting suggests you to not eat for at least 8 to 12 hours. This test helps you to get accurate results of the blood test.

·       Oral Glucose Tolerance Test:

This test is basically the next stage of the fasting blood test. They will collect your blood at first while fasting. Next they will provide you a sugary drink. After an interval of 2 hours, they will again collect your blood for testing the sugar levels.

Other Tests for Diagnosing Diabetes

·       Urine test is a good method. It does not directly diagnose diabetes. It helps you detect your sugar level in urine. This will further correspond to indicating your risks of diabetes.

·       You can use home testing kits like blood glucose meters to test yourself at home. The finger-pricking method helps you test your blood with this instrument. However, they only detect your blood sugar levels.

·       It is not possible for an optician to diagnose your diabetes. However, symptoms of diabetic retinopathy can be apparent on your eye health. This alerts you of your risks of diabetes.   

Analysing the Results of Blood Test for Diabetes

Targets for blood glucose levels vary from individual to individual according to different factors. These may include:

·       Age of the individual

·       Pregnancy

·       Current ongoing medications

·       Any medical history of diabetes or high blood sugar levels

·       Any other underlying health issues

The implications of the results of your blood test depend on the type of blood test.

Risks of a Blood Glucose Test

Undertaking a blood sugar test is an easy process. However, different uncertainties may bring about the following risks:

·       Multiple wounds of pricking in case it’s difficult to find the vein

·       Excessive bleeding due to pricking with syringe

·       Fainting

·       Rare infections

Final Thoughts

Getting an affordable private blood test in London helps you receive the most comprehensive healthcare experience. It offers you a luxurious healthcare treatment. Moreover, undertaking private blood tests from GPs in London can help you get the most accurate results. It will also provide you the best blood test services with the most efficient medical professionals.

Undertaking blood sugar is an essential part of our routine check-up. We should not wait for getting symptoms and signs of diabetes. Instead, we should take regular health check-ups to prevent the risks of diabetes.