Blood glucose tests are also sometimes called blood sugar tests. They measure the amount of glucose in your blood, and are an important indicator if you are at risk of developing diabetes, or have any symptoms that might suggest a pre-diabetic condition.
Symptoms of diabetes can include:
- Unusual thirst
- A frequent need to urinate
- Blurred vision
- Feeling tired for no apparent reason
These symptoms often develop gradually over time so people don't always recognize them. It is estimated that most people with diabetes have the disease from 5 to 10 years before they are diagnosed. If you suspect that you have one of these symptoms your blood glucose levels should be tested.
The easiest way to test for diabetes is a random blood glucose test. The test does not require fasting, and just requires a small finger prick to draw a drop of blood, and results only take a few minutes.