Diabetes Health

Diabetes is a serious long-term condition that affects blood glucose regulation. When undiagnosed or poorly managed, it can lead to complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, neuropathy, and vision loss. Therefore, early detection and ongoing monitoring are essential for effective clinical management.

At Fortress Clinical Laboratory, the Diabetes Health Profile provides comprehensive testing to support diagnosis, risk assessment, and disease management. In addition, the profile includes specialist testing for insulin resistance and a highly sensitive assay to differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Importantly, this differentiation test requires strict pre-analytical handling: samples must be processed immediately at the clinic and frozen within four hours prior to transport to the laboratory. As a result, analytical accuracy and result reliability are maintained.

The Diabetes Health Profile combines both short-term and long-term markers of glycaemic control. Furthermore, it includes fasting glucose measurement to assess current blood sugar levels at the time of testing. In addition, HbA1c is used to reflect average glucose levels over the past two to three months, providing a long-term view of glycaemic control. Together, these markers offer a complete assessment of glucose regulation.

C-peptide assesses endogenous insulin production and supports diabetes classification. In addition, it helps evaluate pancreatic function. Glucose measures current blood glucose levels for immediate clinical assessment. At the same time, it provides a snapshot of metabolic status. HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin) reflects average blood glucose over 2–3 months and, consequently, supports long-term glycaemic monitoring. Insulin evaluates insulin production and, moreover, helps identify insulin resistance and metabolic imbalance.

By combining these biomarkers, the Diabetes Health Profile enables a comprehensive evaluation of glycaemic status. Ultimately, this supports earlier diagnosis, improved monitoring, and more informed clinical decision-making.