Medical abbreviation:
OGTT
Type:
Blood test
Definition:
A 2 part blood glucose test which involves the following: The patient fasts for 12 hours, and then a blood sample is taken. The patient is asked to drink a measured sugar load over 5 minutes (usually a known quantity of Lucozade® or glucose solution). A second blood sample is taken 2 hours after the glucose load. This test is regarded as the gold standard of diabetic diagnostic testing and gives more detailed information about how the body is handling blood sugar. The test does require the patient to remain on site for at least 2 hours.
When would I need this test?
The test is requested when the diagnosis of diabetes is not certain. This may occur where a patient has no symptoms, but on general health screening blood tests suggest they might have diabetes. The test may also be requested where there is strong suspicion of diabetes from clinical symptoms, but a fasting blood glucose test is inconclusive. As well as diagnosing diabetes it is able to detect pre-diabetic states. These are patient who are not diabetic, but are at a higher risk than the general population of developing diabetes. These patients may benefit from adopting lifestyle changes such as diet modification and exercise.
