Answer to Question #210125 in Biochemistry for Whatever

Question

A female in her sixties (Mrs J) makes an appointment with her GP because she has been suffering with pains in her legs and having difficulty walking. She is also having problems with her vision. She presents as overweight, bordering on obese. When questioned about her appetite she mentions that she seems to feel thirsty a lot of the time. The GP takes a blood sample and asks the patient to provide an MSU urine specimen. After using a dipstick on both samples, the GP arranges for the patient to attend the clinic for a glucose tolerance test. The results are in Table 1 below.

 

Table 1: Plasma glucose concentrations (mmol/L) determined for Mrs J

 

Subject

minutes after glucose load

 

0

30

60

90

120

Patient T

8.5

16.1

16.8

15.9

15.5

 

Question 5

Briefly describe the clinical biochemistry test(s) that would be used to monitor the patient during treatment.

Answer 1

The essence of glucose tolerance test is to diagnose a patient or rule out the possibility of diabetes mellitus. The analysis of the outcomes of the tests and the symptoms indicates Mrs. J has Prediabetes (otherwise known as impaired fasting glucose). The following are the tests carried out to monitor the condition:

1. HbA1C (A1C or glycosylated hemoglobin test). this test is useful in diagnosing prediabetes and diabetes. It measures the average blood glucose control for the past two to three months
2. Fasting Plasma Glucose test to determine the amount of glucose in plasma.
3. Oral Glucose Tolerance test determines measures how well the body handles a standard amount of glucose.