There are three types of tests done for the diagnosis of diabetes:
- A fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test is conducted to measure the state of diabetes and pre-diabetes. It is conducted to measure the level of blood glucose present in a person who has been on fast for at least 8 hours.
- An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is also conducted to know the state of diabetes and pre-diabetes. For this test, the person is not supposed to eat anything for at least 8 hours prior to the test. The person then consumes glucose mostly in the form of a beverage and then the test is conducted after 2 hours.
- A random plasma glucose test which is also referred to as the casual plasma glucose test is conducted to measure diabetes and not pre-diabetes. The main objective of this test is to measure the level of glucose. It is conducted irrespective of the fact as to when did the person last ate. Other symptoms are also assessed.
In most cases, the FPG test is conducted to diagnose diabetes since it is very convenient and doesn’t cost much. However, it does not cover all the stats and is likely to miss out on some of the diabetes or pre-diabetes stats that are available in OGTT. You can rely on its report when it is conducted in the early morning.
Studies over the years have concluded that OGTT is more reliable than FPG test in diagnosing pre-diabetes but the only drawback being that it is not very convenient to account for.
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