Importance of Early Diabetes Diagnosis and Screening

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases that is affecting the world today and increased emphasis is required on the prevention and screening. The risk complications of diabetes are far worse if the individual who is prone to diabetes for various reasons doesn’t get diagnosed and treated properly. These complications include premature heart disease and stroke, blindness, limb amputations and kidney failure. The symptoms of diabetes may not be obvious for a longer period of time by which the condition may get worse.

This is exactly why early diagnosis of pre-diabetes is important so that the patients can get aware of their condition and act before it gets worse and avoid the much serious complications that can decrease the quality of life. Pre-diabetes is a condition where someone has higher than average blood glucose levels that aren’t quite high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. If the fasting blood glucose level is anywhere between 100mg/dL to 125mg/dL, it is considered as pre-diabetes. If this is left untreated, pre-diabetes can easily progress, and the pre-diabetic individuals will eventually develop type 2 diabetes.

Although the progression

takes over many years, pre-diabetes itself presents an increased risk for development of microvascular and macrovascular diseases and their complications and is still a risk factor for future development of type 2 diabetes. By identifying patients with pre-diabetes and initiating early interventions in lifestyle and/or pharmacological treatments, the progression can be delayed, or in some cases even prevented. Earlier the diagnosis, easier it is to reverse the condition and curb the development into full-blown type-2 diabetes.

Risk factors for pre-diabetes include poor diet, smoking, low physical activity, being overweight, stress, history of gestational diabetes, and family history of diabetes.

The intensive programs of lifestyle modification (diet, exercise and physical activity) do reduce the incidence of diabetes among the early screen-detected people, with collateral benefits on cardiovascular risk factors. Some of the tests that can help you in early detection of diabetes are

Fasting blood sugar test is taken on an empty stomach and normal result would range between 70 and 99 mg/dl.

Random blood sugar test is taken at a random time during the day, and any reading up to 125 mg/dl is considered normal but it varies according to what was last consumed and when.

Post-prandial blood sugar test is done two hours after a proper meal. If glucose levels are normal, the reading should not go beyond 140 to 145 mg/dl.

The A1C test, also known as the glyco hemoglobin test, gives a reading of the average levels of blood glucose over the past three months. A normal reading ranges from 4% to 6%.

Screen-detected prediabetes can be managed with lifestyle intervention and/or pharmacotherapy. There is a robust trial evidence supporting the efficacy of each of these therapies. Of the two, lifestyle intervention appears to be more effective.

So, understand the importance of early diabetes diagnosis and screening and schedule a visit or book a home sample collection service from Apollo Diagnostics to get your tests done.