Articles on Medical Diseases and Conditions

Entries for the ‘Tests for Diabetes and Hypoglycemia’ Category

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

The OGTT is more reliable when the patient is ambulatory and does not have other severe acute or chronic illnesses. The test should be preceded by at least 3 days of adequate carbohydrate diet and should be performed in the morning after the patient has fasted at least 10 hours (but no longer than 16 […]

Glucose Tolerance Test

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by demonstrating abnormally increased blood glucose values under certain controlled conditions. If insulin deficiency is small, abnormality is noted only when an unusually heavy carbohydrate load is placed on the system. In uncompensated insulin deficiency, fasting glucose is abnormal; in compensated insulin deficiency, a variety of carbohydrate tolerance test […]

Methods of Blood Glucose Assay

The technique of blood glucose determination must be considered because different methods vary in specificity and sensitivity to glucose. The blood specimen itself is important; according to several reports (and my own experience), during each hour of standing at room temperature, whole blood glucose values decrease about 10 mg/100 ml unless a preservative is added. […]

Diabetes

Besides secreting exocrine digestive enzymes into the duodenum, the pancreas has endocrine functions centered in the islands of Langerhans. These structures are found primarily in the tail and body of the pancreas, the hormones involved are glucagon and insulin, and secretion is directly into the bloodstream. Diabetes mellitus results from abnormality in the production or […]