Insulin (F):
Why Insulin (F) Test?
CLINICAL INFORMATION
Diabetes mellitus refers to a term for several conditions with metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period of time. This disorder is either due to insufficient insulin produced by the pancreas and/or absence of insulin (due to autoimmune disease i.e destruction of beta cells) and/or the body not responding to insulin (insulin resistance). Clinical manifestations or symptoms include hyperglycemia, polyphagia (increased appetite), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyuria (frequent urination), blurred vision, headache, fatigue, slow wound healing, diabetic dermadromes etc. A metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders that interlink together (high blood sugar, high BP, excess body fat around the waist, low HDL, high TGs etc) and increase one’s risk of type-2 Diabetes mellitus and heart diseases. Types include Type-1 Diabetes mellitus, Type-2 Diabetes mellitus, Juvenile Diabetes mellitus, Gestational Diabetes mellitus etc. Diabetes mellitus if left untreated can result in end-organ damage such as diabetic retinopathy (affecting the eye), diabetic neuropathy (affecting the nerves), and diabetic nephropathy (affecting the kidneys). Complications include obesity, diabetic ketoacidosis (Kussmaul breathing), insulin resistance, macro-vascular diseases (like stroke and peripheral artery diseases), glaucoma, cataracts, heart diseases, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease (insulin resistance accelerates the deposition of beta-amyloid in the brain), pseudo-motor dysfunction, muscle atrophy, seizure, unconsciousness, hyperosmolar hyperglycemia (that can lead to coma and death) etc. Insulin is the principal hormone that regulates the uptake of glucose from the blood into most cells of the body (eg. liver, adipose, muscles etc). Insulin is released from the beta cells of the pancreas in response to an increase in the glucose levels in the bloodstream after a meal. Insulin helps to store glucose in the liver as glycogen, muscles and fats (excess glucose is converted to fat and is stored in the adipose tissues), and thus regulates the body’s metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Therefore abnormal levels of insulin can cause serious consequences. Lack of insulin fails to store glucose in muscles and/or liver and lipogenesis cannot be triggered, instead it favours lipolysis and hence fats break down to form keto acids (ketone bodies). Thus the accumulation of high ketone bodies can cause imbalance and result in diabetic ketoacidosis (which if untreated can lead to coma and eventually to death). While high levels of insulin in the blood are known as insulinemia. It can cause obesity which in turn leads to heart diseases and furthermore it may also further complicate abnormal pathologies like insulin resistance, Polycystic Ovaries (PCOs), cancers etc. Causes for low insulin levels include type-1 Diabetes mellitus, removal or pancreatic disease, hypopituitarism etc. Causes for high insulin levels include insulin resistance, obesity, tumours of the pancreas (insulinomas), Cushing’s syndrome, acromegaly, certain medications (corticosteroids, Oral Contraceptive Pills - OCPs) etc. An insulin blood test is also called a fasting insulin test (since the test is performed with a minimum of 8 hours of fasting duration). This test estimates the levels of insulin present in the body (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia) and moreover, it aids in the study of insulin resistance (Type-2 diabetes) and helps in the prognosis. Additional tests include HbA1C, C-Peptide, fructosamine, glucagon test etc. Other associated tests include CBC, tests for anaemia, Glucose Tolerance Test - GTT, ELISA for autoimmune disease, imaging studies etc.
General Instructions:
Sample Requirement: Specimen - Blood sample collected from the vein. Test Preparation: Suggestions from the Doctor.
NOTE - Sample for specimen collections may vary based on the patient’s condition / cases according to the patient’s presenting complaints/signs or symptoms:
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENT (Special or Rare Cases) - As instructed and guided by Physician / Clinician / Pathologist / as per Laboratory’s requirements, according to procedures and protocols.
This Multi-Specialty Clinical Referral Laboratory RT DIAGNOSTICS provides precise and accurate tests with an extensive range of testing services to the medical centres to help in the diagnosis and identification of pathology in the test specimens for infectious diseases and also to evaluate the function of organ systems of the patient. It prevents further complications and helps to stabilize and restore health to near normalcy at the earliest without delay.
