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Review

Diagnostic Tests for Diabetes Mellitus

In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
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Review

Diagnostic Tests for Diabetes Mellitus

Melanie Nelson et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

In this chapter, indications for screening for diabetes mellitus are reviewed. Criteria for diagnosis are fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) or random glucose ≥200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) with hyperglycemic symptoms, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥6.5%, and oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) 2-h glucose ≥200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) after 75 g of glucose. One-step and two-step strategies for diagnosing gestational diabetes using pregnancy-specific criteria as well as use of the 2-h 75-g OGTT for the postpartum testing of women with gestational diabetes (4-12 weeks after delivery) are described. Testing for other forms of diabetes with unique features are reviewed, including the recommendation to use the 2-h 75 g OGTT to screen for cystic fibrosis-related diabetes and post-transplantation diabetes, fasting glucose test for HIV positive individuals, and genetic testing for monogenic diabetes syndromes including neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). Elevated measurements of pancreatic islet autoantibodies (e.g., to the 65-KDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), tyrosine phosphatase related islet antigen 2 (IA-2), insulin (IAA), and zinc transporter (ZnT8)) suggest autoimmune type 1 diabetes (vs type 2 diabetes). IAA is primarily measured in youth. The use of autoantibody testing in diabetes screening programs is recommended in first degree relatives of an individual with type 1 diabetes or in research protocols. C-peptide measurements can be helpful in identifying those who have type 1 diabetes (low or undetectable c-peptide) from those who may have type 2 or monogenic diabetes. For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.

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