Chemical pathology case conference - Laboratory tests for diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence in most places in the world. A number of laboratory tests, such as glucose, haemoglobin A1C, urine albumin, creatinine, lipid profile play pivotal roles in diabetes care. Other adjunctive laboratory tests include urine and blood ketone, fructosamine, and C-peptide. Judicious use of these tests is important to ensure all patients are diagnosed and managed according to evidence-based clinical guidelines. Some knowledge about the pre-analytical and analytical aspects and potential pitfalls of these laboratory tests also assist clinicians to interpret test results properly.