DIABETES COMPLICATIONS ASSESSMENT TESTS

1. BLOOD PRESSURE, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC.?

These are standard tests performed at every annual checkup. Diabetes can make you prone to high blood pressure, and diabetes with high blood pressure can increase your risk for heart disease. You can do this test in the doctor’s office or at home. I recommend you purchase a blood pressure machine i.e Omron or Fabia, from DMRC.

-Normal = 90–120 systolic, 60–80 diastolic

-Pre-high blood pressure = 120–140 systolic, 80–90 diastolic

-High blood pressure = >140 systolic, >90 diastolic

2. CHOLESTEROL SCREENS: BLOOD CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, AND LDL AND HDL CHOLESTEROL. These are standard tests which you should have during every annual checkup. High cholesterol can tell you if you are at high risk for heart disease or stroke. You can do this test in DMMC affordably.

Total cholesterol: One test that includes LDL, HDL, and others. It is more important to pay attention to both LDL and HDL numbers.

-LDL (or L for lousy or bad) cholesterol:

Normal = <100 mg/dL with no history of heart disease, <70 mg/dL with history of heart disease

-HDL (or H for healthy or good) cholesterol:

Normal = >60 mg/dL

Borderline = 40–60 mg/dL

Too low = <40 mg/dL

3. BLOOD TRIGLYCERIDE. This is a standard test that should be performed at every annual checkup. Blood triglyceride, in combination with diabetes and bad cholesterol, can tell you if you have a higher chance of heart disease. You can do this test at DMMC Ngara.

Normal = <100 mg/dL

4. LIVER FUNCTION (AST, ALT). If you are overweight or obese, or prediabetic, you can ask for a liver function test, which will show whether your liver is working fine or if there are excess fat deposits that make it work less effectively. A bad liver test can be a signal that you are likely to progress to more severe diabetes in the future. You can do this test in DMMC Ngara.

-Normal AST = 5–50 units/Liter of blood

-Normal ALT = 7–56 units/Liter of blood

5. KIDNEY FUNCTION. Many kidney function tests include Glomerular Filtration Rate, Serum Creatinine, and Urinary Albumin-to-Creatine Ratio. Kidney function tests are only performed as part of your normal checkups, or if you frequently go to the bathroom two or three times during the hours you should be sleeping. You should also check for the presence of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a by-product of the breakdown of muscle and fat. Dangerously high levels happen when there’s not enough available insulin in your system. Usually, ketones are undetectable in urine, so any amount of detectable ketone in the urine is a sign of diabetes.

-Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN): Normal = 7–20 mg/dL

-Serum Creatinine: Normal = 0.84–1.21 mg/dL

-Albumin Urea Test (urine test):

-Normal = <30 mg/dL

-Potential kidney damage = 30–300 mg/dL

-Severe kidney damage = >300 mg

6. VITAMIN B12. If you’re already taking the diabetes medication metformin (Glucophage, Riomet, Glumetza, Glucophage XR, or Fortamet), you need to check your vitamin B12 levels. One of the side effects of metformin is that it lowers your ability to absorb vitamin B12, making you feel weak and depressed and contributing to numbness in toes (peripheral neuropathy).

-Normal = 180–914 ng/L (nanogram/liter of blood)

7. THYROID (TSH). If you have Type 1 diabetes, feel lethargic, or have unexplained weight gain, ask your doctor to test your thyroid gland. Women over 40 who are premenopausal or menopausal typically have less thyroid function. An overactive or underactive thyroid cannot tell if you have diabetes, but it can explain a rapid weight gain or weight loss or feelings of anxiety or lethargy. You can do this test affordably at DMMC Ngara.?