According to guidelines, the fasting blood glucose (FBS) cut-off value for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is?

AIIMS CRE SNO - 2023

Medical & Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: AIIMS CRE SNO - 2023

Explanation

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, the diagnostic cut-off for diabetes mellitus using a fasting blood glucose (FBS) test is a value of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher.
This diagnosis requires confirmation, typically with a repeat test on a different day, to rule out lab errors or transient hyperglycemia.
Fasting is defined as no caloric intake for at least 8 hours before the blood sample is taken.

Option B: A value of 110 mg/dL falls within the prediabetes range (100–125 mg/dL). It indicates impaired fasting glucose but is not high enough for a definitive diabetes diagnosis.
Option C: A value of 100 mg/dL is the upper limit of the normal fasting glucose range. Values from 100 mg/dL upwards signify the beginning of the prediabetes range.
Option D: A value of 200 mg/dL is the diagnostic cut-off for a random plasma glucose test or a 2-hour plasma glucose test during an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), not for a fasting test.

Visual 1: Infographic: A chart showing the different blood glucose ranges for Normal, Prediabetes, and Diabetes for FBS, OGTT, and HbA1c tests. This provides a comprehensive visual guide to all diagnostic criteria.
Visual 2: Flowchart: A decision tree for diagnosing diabetes, starting with patient symptoms or risk factors, leading to the appropriate test (FBS, OGTT, HbA1c), and showing the diagnostic pathways based on the results.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Diagnostic criteria for Diabetes Mellitus using Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses play a crucial role in patient education regarding preparation for an FBS test, which includes fasting for at least 8 hours to ensure an accurate result.
Understanding these cut-off values is essential for nurses to identify at-risk patients, interpret lab results correctly, and provide appropriate education on lifestyle modifications for prediabetes or management strategies for diabetes.
What if? If a patient's FBS is 120 mg/dL, the nurse should not diagnose diabetes but recognize it as prediabetes. The appropriate action is to educate the patient on lifestyle changes (diet, exercise) and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and to ensure follow-up as advised by the physician.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'fasting blood glucose (FBS),' 'cut-off value,' and 'diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.'
This is a factual recall question that requires knowledge of specific laboratory values used in diagnostics.
Recall the established guidelines for diabetes diagnosis from authoritative bodies like the ADA or WHO.
Compare the given options to the known diagnostic criteria. The FBS cut-off for diabetes is ≥126 mg/dL.
Systematically eliminate the other options by identifying what they represent: <100 mg/dL is normal, 100-125 mg/dL is prediabetes, and ≥200 mg/dL is for random or post-glucose tests.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Diagnostic criteria for Diabetes Mellitus using Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS).
Stem keywords: fasting blood glucose, FBS, cut-off value, diagnosis, diabetes mellitus
Lead-in keywords: is
Negative lead-in flag: false

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