Diabetes is a condition that affects millions of people across the globe. Diabetes occurs when the individual's body is not able to manage the blood sugar levels effectively. This happens either because there is insufficient production of insulin in one's body or because the insulin produced by the body is not doing its job properly. Diabetes is a condition that can be easily managed once the patient is aware of the nature of his or her health. An oral glucose tolerance test for diabetes is therefore used to diagnose this problem so that treatment and management can commence. The oral glucose tolerance test for diabetes is usually the first test that is done to check for the problem. Subsequent testing is almost always ordered to ensure that the patient is properly diagnosed. Also read more on GTT test.
The oral glucose tolerance test for diabetes is conducted when the patient is on empty stomach. This is necessary to ensure that any excess blood sugar has been absorbed or removed from the body. This means that the test is conducted after at least 8 hours of fasting. The blood sugar level is then tested as the patient enters the clinic where the test is being conducted. Following this, the patient is made to consume a glucose based drink which has a specific quantity of glucose in it. The oral glucose tolerance test for diabetes is then administered after one hour. A blood sample is collected and checked for its glucose level. If this level is abnormal, then the patient is made to take a follow up blood test after two or three hours. This gives the body enough time to react to the high blood glucose level and to correct it. If the body fails to correct it, then the patient is considered to be suffering from diabetes. The oral glucose test for hypoglycemia is conducted if the blood sugar levels are suspected to be very low.
Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of diabetes that affects pregnant women. In this case, the patient will undergo an oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes. The testing method in the oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes is exactly the same as a standard oral glucose tolerance test. However, the patient should have no past history of diabetes before she became pregnant for this test to be labeled as such. The oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes is often conducted on women who experience excessive fatigue and other similar symptoms that a person with diabetes would experience.