What tests should my doctor be doing on a regular basis to monitor my diabetes?

What tests should my doctor be doing on a regular basis to monitor my diabetes?

Some of the tests that your doctor will perform to monitor your diabetes and the status of any of its chronic complications are shown in Table 10. The main things that interest your doctor are monitoring the control of your blood sugar, the control of your cholesterol and blood pressure, and the presence or progress of any long-term complications of your diabetes (see Part 4 for discussion of these), and to check for the presence or absence of other related conditions. Tests in this context can refer to clinical examination, such as checking the condition of your feet and testing the sensation, laboratory blood tests, and special tests, as indicated, such as scans or other images. Many of these your doctor can do himself

Table 10 Items That May Be Checked Regularly in Persons with Diabetes

Item	Monitoring Tool
Glucose control	HbA1c, fructosamine, CBGs, eAG
Lipids	Fasting lipid panel ± special lipid tests
Blood pressure	BP cuff measurements
Large vessel health	EKG, carotid IMT
Small vessel health
Feet	Inspection, microfilament, capillary refill, ABIs
Kidneys	Serum creatinine, estimated CCr, MACR
Eyes	Retinal imaging, dilated eye exam
Peripheral nerves	Monofilament, NCV testing, touch and vibration perception, proprioception*
Autonomic nerves	Postural BP, pulse, RR variation

Abbreviations: HbA1c: hemoglobin A1c; CBGs: capillary (fingerstick) blood glucoses; eAG: estimated average glucose; BP: blood pressure; EKG (ECG): electrocardiogram; IMT: intimal-medial thickness by ultrasound; ABIs: anklebrachial indices; CCr: creatinine clearance; MACR: microalbumen-to-creatinine
ratio; NCV: nerve conduction velocity; RR: R-wave to R-wave (on EKG). *Position sense.

and others may require referral to another specialist. A detailed eye examination is an example of the latter.