Going to the hospital to "drink sugar water", are you drinking it correctly?

Author: Yang Qunsong, Fan Zhengbiao

In the endocrinology department, outpatient clinics and obstetric wards, especially after the opening of the "second child" policy, many expectant mothers, obese people, people with hypertension and hyperthyroidism and other high-risk groups with abnormal glucose metabolism need to undergo an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT test), which is often referred to as the "drinking sugar water" test. So, why do we need to do this test, how to do it, what are the precautions... Today we will talk about the relevant issues of the glucose tolerance test. The oral glucose tolerance test, referred to as the glucose tolerance test, is a glucose load test to understand the function of insulin β cells and the body's ability to regulate blood sugar. It can comprehensively evaluate fasting and postprandial blood sugar. Its results have been used as the gold standard for diagnosing diabetes and are currently widely used in clinical practice.

1. Which groups of people need to do OGTT test?

1. Those without symptoms of diabetes, abnormal random blood sugar or fasting blood sugar;

2. No symptoms of diabetes, but transient or persistent diabetes;

3. No symptoms of diabetes, but with a family history of diabetes;

4. Symptoms of diabetes, but random blood sugar or fasting blood sugar levels do not meet the diagnostic criteria;

5. Those who are pregnant, have hyperthyroidism, liver disease, infection, or diabetes;

6. Women who have given birth to a macrosomic fetus or individuals with a history of macrosomic fetus;

7. Unexplained kidney disease or retinopathy.

2. What preparations are needed before the test?

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1. 3 days before the test: Eat a normal diet and ensure that the carbohydrate intake per mouthful is no less than 150g; stop taking drugs that may affect OGTT, such as birth control pills, diuretics, or phenytoin sodium, 3-7 days before the test.

2. One day before the test: have a normal dinner, and start fasting after 22:00, and fast for at least 8 hours; no smoking, alcohol, strong tea, coffee or other stimulating drinks.

3. On the day of the test: do not eat breakfast, do not take hypoglycemic drugs, and do not inject insulin; relax to avoid blood vessel contraction due to fear, which increases the difficulty of blood collection.

3. What steps does the test process include?

Step 1: Collect fasting venous blood before taking sugar water to measure fasting blood sugar level.

Step 2: Drink sugar water Dissolve 75g of anhydrous glucose powder in 250-300ml of warm water. If 1 molecule of water glucose is used, it is 82.5g. For children, give 1.75g ​​per kilogram of body weight, and the total amount should not exceed 75g, and should be drunk within 3-5 minutes.

Step 3: Collect venous blood; start timing after drinking the first sip of sugar water, and collect 2 ml of venous blood at 30min, 60min, and 120min after drinking the sugar water to test blood sugar levels.

IV. Precautions

1. The experiment should be conducted in a hospital, and the patient should be observed in the experimental area during the experiment. During the experiment, the patient should rest quietly, avoid strenuous exercise and physical labor, and fast, drink water, and smoke.

2. After taking sugar, the patient's reaction should be closely observed. If the patient becomes pale, nauseous, or faints during the test, the test should be stopped immediately. If the above symptoms occur 3 to 4 hours after taking sugar, hypoglycemia should be considered. Blood should be drawn immediately to measure blood sugar. The patient should be advised to eat porridge, steamed bread and other starchy staple foods, and the condition should be closely observed.