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Diabetes screening

Long-Term Care Nursing Advisor, November 4, 2005

According to a newly released study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20.3 million Americans-or 7% of the population-suffer from some form of diabetes. Further, the CDC estimates that nearly 20% of U.S. adults over the age of 60 have the disease.

Considering the potentially debilitating effects of the disease, test all residents for the presence of pre-diabetes and diabetes using a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A resident with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

For the OGTT, a person's blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the resident has pre-diabetes. The resident has diabetes if the two-hour blood glucose level is over 200 mg/dl.

Whenever you detect diabetes, coordinate with the resident's physician and the interdisciplinary care team to develop an appropriate care plan.

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