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Antibody Test For Diabetes



 Submitted by Medical Health Test Team on May 21, 2010
Diabetes Antibody Test

The incidence of antibodies in the body can be checked with the anti-insulin antibody test. The test is very simple and involves drawing blood from a vein that is present on the inner side of your elbow or a vein from the back of your hand. An antiseptic liquid is used to kill the germs from the area from which blood is drawn. With the help of a band usually elastic in nature, the doctor or health care provider tightens the upper part of the arm so as to apply some amount of pressure on the area. This ensures that the blood would fill in the vein causing it to swell and the doctor would therefore be able to draw some blood for the test.

With the help of a needle the health care provider draws blood from the vein and collects it in an air-tight vial that is attached to the needle.  The health care provider then loosens and removes the elastic band from your arm. The area that is punctured is then sealed with a band - aid to prevent it from bleeding. This is done once the blood is collected.  

In the case of children who are young or in the case of infants the skin is punctured with the help of a lancet. A pipette or glass tube is then used in order to collect the blood. In some cases the blood is directly collected on a slide or on a test strip. The technician in the laboratory conducts a test that helps in tagging the proteins.   There is no special preparation required for the test. Sometimes people complain of some pain whereas others might not feel anything, but a slight stinging sensation.

There is a need for this test if there are chances that you may be at a risk especially for type 1 diabetes. Your doctor may recommend it if you are not able to control your diabetes with the help of insulin. It could be also done if you are allergic to insulin.

If your results are normal then there would be no antibodies against insulin found in your blood. However, remember that there may be slight variations as far as normal value ranges are concerned amongst different laboratories. Check what your specific test results mean with your doctor.

The reaction of your body towards insulin is different when you have antibodies called IgG and IgM. Your body responds like the insulin is foreign. Thus the effect of the insulin is neutralized or is lessened. The time the insulin takes to act, changes if there are antibodies present in your body, thus increasing your risk for low blood pressure. Thus you may have to take increased levels of insulin. If the antibody called IgE is high against insulin then your body develops an allergic response to it.

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