Home vs. doctor diabetes test: what’s the difference?
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a home diabetes test and a test performed by a doctor? In this article, we would like to explain the differences between the various types of tests to help you decide which test is right for you.
Table of Contents
- What is diabetes?
- What is the diabetes test for home use?
- What is a diabetes test from the pharmacy?
- What exactly is a medical diabetes test?
- What is the oral glucose tolerance test and what does it measure?
- How much does a diabetes test at the general practitioner’s office cost?
- Which diabetes test is right for me?
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a general term for various metabolic disorders in which the human body can no longer produce insulin or does not produce enough insulin. Diabetes can be hereditary or the result of an unhealthy diet.
What is the diabetes test for home use?
A home diabetes test is a self-test that involves taking either a urine sample or a small amount of blood. If you conduct a rapid home diabetes test you will have your test result in approximately 10–30 minutes. However, if you choose a home test with laboratory evaluation, you must then send your sample to a laboratory for analysis.
Both urine and blood samples are easy to collect and can provide reliable results. With both types of tests, however, it is essential that you take the sample on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning just after getting up. In addition, you must use the first urine of the day for the urine sample.
Rapid diabetes tests may be inexpensive and deliver quick results, but they are known for not being particularly reliable. A self-test with laboratory evaluation, such as the Homed-IQ blood sugar test, offers both a fast result and a high level of reliability. We therefore always recommend a home test with laboratory evaluation if you need to choose between the two types of tests.
What is a diabetes test from the pharmacy?
At the pharmacy, you can obtain both rapid tests and home tests with laboratory evaluation for diabetes. The procedure for both tests is the same as for the tests you can buy online. Again, a rapid test is not particularly recommended if you also have the option of choosing a test with laboratory evaluation. The difference between the tests from the internet and those from the pharmacy is usually the price. However, they may also differ in quality and reliability. A pharmacy has high quality standards and will likely only offer certified self-tests for sale, whereas some self-tests from the internet may not be certified or may not cooperate with licensed laboratories.
Homed-IQ self-tests meet the highest quality standards and are on the same quality level as self-tests from the pharmacy.
What exactly is a medical diabetes test?
While a home test measures either the sugar level in the urine or the blood sugar level in the blood, a diabetes test at the general practitioner’s office is much more comprehensive.
To diagnose diabetes, the doctor uses various measurements:
- Fasting blood sugar
- Random blood sugar
- HbA1c value (long-term blood sugar)
- oGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)
Usually, the general practitioner selects only one type of blood test for an initial examination. If the blood sugar level appears to be normal, but a person shows symptoms of diabetes, the doctor may opt for the oGTT test.
In addition to a blood test, a urine test is also possible at the doctor’s office. However, a urine test is by no means the first choice to test oneself or someone else for diabetes. The reason for this is that excess sugar is only released in the urine from a blood value of 180 mg/dl, and a value of 180 mg/dl is already considered too high. Therefore, urine tests are unsuitable for diagnosing early-stage diabetes, also known as prediabetes.
What is the oral glucose tolerance test and what does it measure?
The oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) is a test that measures how quickly a patient’s body can process orally ingested glucose. As mentioned above, this test is used when the blood sugar levels from a standard diabetes test are in the normal range, but the patient still reports typical symptoms of diabetes. In a glucose tolerance test, blood is first taken from the patient to determine the baseline blood sugar level. The patient is then given 50–75 g of glucose, and the blood sugar values two to four hours later are compared with the baseline values. If the blood sugar level is still above 200 mg/dl after at least two hours, the diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed.
How much does a diabetes test at the general practitioner’s office cost?
A diabetes test at the doctor’s office costs around 20 euros, but this price only includes the test itself. The laboratory evaluation is not included in this price. These costs must be added and can quickly make a diabetes test at the doctor’s office expensive.
A test at the doctor’s office not only costs money but also time. A diabetes test at the doctor’s office is not something that can be done in just a few minutes. You need to make an appointment, wait in the waiting room on the day of the appointment, and then wait again for the results after the blood sample is taken. Not every working person has time for that. High-quality home tests with laboratory evaluation can help here, as they eliminate the need to visit the doctor for the test.
Which diabetes test is right for me?
Which test is right for you depends entirely on your individual situation. Does diabetes run in your family, and are you just curious to check your blood levels because you have no other symptoms? In this case, a rapid test might be sufficient. On the other hand, are you experiencing symptoms of diabetes and want to better assess your risk? Then a home test with laboratory evaluation is recommended to ensure that the result is accurate. With home tests, you not only save money but, more importantly, also time!
Do your test results deviate from the target values for blood sugar levels? For further treatment, you should consult your general practitioner. Like all other home tests, these tests are intended for assessing your health but are not suitable for self-diagnosis and do not replace a doctor’s visit.
