Diabetes is a disease caused by elevated levels of glucose in the blood serum. Insulin, a hormone manufactured in the pancreas normally functions to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood. When there is a deficiency of insulin, glucose rises and diabetes results.

Criteria for diagnosing diabetes include a random glucose greater than 200 or a fasting glucose greater than 125. Another test useful in diabetes is hemoglobin A1c. (HbA1c or glycohemoglobin). HbA1c is often used to indicate how well a diabetic or pre-diabetic’s glucose is controlled. This test measures a chemical which is a reflection of the average glucose levels in the blood over a period of 2-3 months. A typical normal value for HbA1c is less than 5, while the goal of therapy in treating diabetes is often a HbA1c of less that 7, diabetes with a HbA1c greater than 8 must revaluate how their diabetes has been treated.