What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition characterised by high blood sugar. Sugar levels are regulated by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin production and your body’s ability to use it is reduced in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Glucose is the main sugar circulating in the blood which is broken down from the foods you eat. When levels exceed energy requirements, glucose binds to haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is vital for red blood cells (RBCs), the cells responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood. The complex of glucose and haemoglobin is called haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and the formation is irreversible.

The HbA1c level indicates the average blood glucose over the past 3 months as this is how long RBCs live for. Blood glucose levels are typically high in people with diabetes resulting in elevated HbA1c. Glucose is a short-term marker of blood sugar levels given it fluctuates hugely throughout a single day. Hyperglycaemia occurs when blood sugar levels are too high, and hypoglycaemia occurs when blood sugar levels are too low. Hyperglycaemia is particularly common in people with diabetes as their body’s either do not produce sufficient insulin or are insulin resistant.

Kidney disease is a complication that might develop in people with diabetes. The kidneys are responsible for filtering proteins and controlling their excretion. Normally the kidneys prevent excretion of albumin into the urine since it has important functions in the body and promote excretion of creatinine which is a waste product of muscle breakdown.  High levels of albumin and low levels of creatinine are thus useful indicators of kidney function.

Why take the test?

This test measures the level of glucose and HbA1c in the blood and albumin and creatinine in the urine. It can be used to help detect prediabetes, diagnose diabetes, monitor a patient already diagnosed with diabetes and assess kidney function.