About the Diabetes Panel
Purpose of the test
Diabetes is a metabolic condition in which the body cannot process glucose (sugar) properly, resulting in elevated levels in the blood. There are several forms of diabetes, of which this diabetes panel screens for undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes in people with risk factors or symptoms. It also monitors blood sugar control in people already diagnosed with Type 1, Type 2, prediabetes, or gestational diabetes. The panel connects to five conditions:
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells
- Type 2 diabetes: the most common form; occurs as a result of the body becoming resistant to insulin or a lack of insulin, the hormone that allows your body to use sugar for energy.
- Gestational diabetes: can occur during pregnancy
- Monogenic diabetes: a rare form (1% to 5% of all diabetes) caused by a single gene mutation inherited from an affected parent, seen most often in people 30 or younger.
- Prediabetes: blood sugar that’s higher than normal but hasn’t crossed the diabetes threshold yet. Prediabetes is often reversible with lifestyle changes.
Unmanaged high blood sugar can quietly damage the kidneys, heart, nerves, and eyes before symptoms show up. “Diabetes panel” can mean different things depending on context. Here, it refers to the metabolic blood sugar screening panel: HbA1c, fasting glucose via the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), and urine microalbumin. It doesn’t cover the diabetes mellitus autoantibody panel (used to confirm Type 1 diabetes) or monogenic diabetes genetic panels. If your provider suspects Type 1 specifically, ask about autoantibody testing.
The panel won’t tell you which type of diabetes you have. That takes additional testing. It also doesn’t replace continuous glucose monitoring for day-to-day management.
The panel serves three purposes:
- Screening: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes in adults aged 35 to 70 who are overweight or obese; earlier for those with additional risk factors.
- Diagnosis: Ordered when symptoms like frequent urination, increased thirst, or unexplained fatigue suggest high blood sugar.
- Monitoring: Tracks how well treatment or lifestyle changes are working in people already diagnosed.
What does the diabetes panel measure?
The panel covers three markers from a single lab visit, combining blood and urine samples. Labs that process these tests must be CLIA-certified (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments).
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP): 14-component panel measuring:
- Glucose: Sugar in your blood at the time of the draw.
- Calcium: Supports nerve, muscle, and bone function.
- Sodium: A key electrolyte that helps control fluid balance.
- Potassium: An electrolyte that affects heart and muscle function.
- Bicarbonate (CO2): Reflects how well your body regulates acid-base balance.
- Chloride: Works with sodium to maintain fluid and acid-base balance.
- Blood urea nitrogen (BUN): A waste product filtered by the kidneys.
- Creatinine: A waste product that shows how well your kidneys are filtering.
- Albumin: The main protein in your blood is made by your liver; it maintains fluid balance, transports hormones and vitamins and aids in tissue repair.
- Total protein: All proteins in your blood, including albumin and globulin.
- ALT (alanine aminotransferase): A liver enzyme that rises when liver cells are damaged.
- AST (aspartate aminotransferase): An enzyme in the liver, heart, and muscles that can signal tissue damage.
- ALP (alkaline phosphatase): An enzyme found in the liver and bones.
- Total bilirubin: A breakdown product of red blood cells processed by the liver.
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): The percentage of hemoglobin coated with glucose over the past
8 to 12 weeks.
Random Microalbumin, Urine: Small amounts of albumin in your urine; an elevated level is an early sign of kidney stress/disease.
Why do the CMP’s kidney and liver markers matter here? Diabetes can stress the kidneys long before you feel anything, a condition called diabetic nephropathy. High liver enzymes can flag nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, affects one-third to two-thirds of people with Type 2 diabetes. CMP test results can alert your provider to early diabetic organ involvement you wouldn’t notice on your own.
When should I get a diabetes panel?
Consider testing if any of these apply:
- Blurred vision, slow-healing cuts, or numbness and tingling in the hands or feet
- Current use of medications that raise blood sugar, like corticosteroids or certain antipsychotics
- Existing diagnosis of Type 1, Type 2, or gestational diabetes needing ongoing monitoring
- Family history of diabetes or prediabetes
- History of gestational diabetes or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly PCOS)
- Overweight or obesity, especially with other risk factors
- Frequent urination, increased thirst, or unexplained fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss or persistent hunger despite eating
For routine screening, the CDC recommends:
- Adults 35 and older: screen regardless of symptoms
- Adults of any age who are overweight or obese with at least one other risk factor, such as a first-degree relative with diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, gestational diabetes history, or PMOS
- People with prior gestational diabetes: rescreen every one to three years after delivery
- People with prediabetes: retest every one to two years
- People with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes: retest every three to six months
How It Works
How to get tested
Testing.com assembles this panel from individual Quest Diagnostics tests, combined into a single bundle.
This panel is ordered through a health care provider, clinic, or hospital lab. Your provider sends you to a lab for a blood draw and urine sample, and results come back through the provider’s patient portal or office.
Both samples are needed because the panel includes microalbumin. No swabs or physical exams are involved.
Results are typically ready within one to three business days after the lab receives your samples, though timing can vary by lab.
Before the test
Fast for 8 to 12 hours before the blood draw. Water is fine. Skip food, coffee, juice, and other drinks.
The fasting rule exists because of the glucose component. Eating raises your blood sugar, which makes the fasting glucose reading unreliable. HbA1c doesn’t need fasting at all. As the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains, the A1c test reflects a three-month average that one morning’s food won’t change. But because glucose is part of this panel, the whole panel requires fasting. Fatty foods can cause turbidity (cloudiness) of the blood specimen, causing technical difficulties in certain test analyses.
Can’t fast? Tell your provider before the draw. A non-fasting glucose result may still be usable.
Tell your provider about all medications and supplements before testing. A few drug classes can raise blood sugar:
- Corticosteroids (like prednisone or dexamethasone)
- Atypical antipsychotics (like olanzapine or quetiapine)
- Thiazide diuretics
- Beta-blockers
- Statins and decongestants
- Birth control pills
Don’t stop any prescription medication without talking to your provider first.
Certain conditions can also make HbA1c readings unreliable. According to MedlinePlus, conditions that affect red blood cells, such as anemia or other blood disorders, can make an A1c test inaccurate for diagnosing diabetes; kidney failure and liver disease can also affect results. If any of these apply, let your provider know so they can weigh glucose results more heavily or pick a different test.
During the test
- Bring a photo ID and any paperwork from your provider. Check in at the lab.
- A phlebotomist draws blood from a vein in your arm. You’ll feel a brief pinch. The draw takes a few minutes.
- You’ll provide a urine sample in a collection cup. This happens in a private restroom.
- A small bandage covers the draw site. Keep it on for at least 15 minutes to ensure bleeding has stopped.
You may feel light-headed if you’ve been fasting. That’s normal. It passes fast. Resume eating and normal activity right after you leave.
Contact your provider if you notice lasting pain, swelling, bruising, or signs of infection at the draw site.
After the test
Results return through your provider’s patient portal or office, typically within one to three business days after the lab receives your samples. Exact timing varies by lab.
If any results fall outside expected ranges, your provider or a health care coordinator may reach out directly. No recovery period is needed.
What Do My Results Mean?
The diabetes panel produces several numeric results. Your provider reads them together, not one by one.
HbA1c results
According to the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) diagnosis guidance:
| Result | HbA1c Level |
| Normal | Below 5.7% |
| Prediabetes | 5.7% to 6.4% |
| Diabetes | 6.5% or higher (confirmed on repeat testing) |
Approximate; varies by lab.
Fasting glucose results
| Result | Fasting Glucose Level |
| Normal | Below 100 mg/dL |
| Prediabetes | 100 to 125 mg/dL |
| Diabetes | 126 mg/dL or higher (confirmed on repeat testing) |
Ranges based on ADA diagnosis criteria; approximate, varies by lab.
Urine microalbumin results
| Result | Microalbumin Level |
| Normal | Less than 30 mg/g creatinine |
| Elevated (early kidney stress) | 30 to 300 mg/g creatinine |
| High (significant kidney involvement) | Above 300 mg/g creatinine |
Approximate, varies by lab.
CMP components (kidney markers, liver enzymes, electrolytes) each have their own reference ranges. Your lab report flags these as normal or abnormal, and your provider reads them in the context of the full panel.
Hemolytic anemia (premature destruction of red blood cells), iron deficiency anemia (falsely increased A1c), sickle cell trait (decreased red cell survival), and recent blood transfusions can all make HbA1c unreliable. If any of these apply, your provider may rely more on fasting glucose.
A single high result isn’t a diagnosis. Both HbA1c and fasting glucose need to come back high on two separate occasions before diabetes is confirmed.
If your results are normal
All markers are within range: HbA1c below 5.7%, fasting glucose below 100 mg/dL, microalbumin normal. That doesn’t mean diabetes is impossible in the future. Risk factors still call for periodic rescreening per ADA guidance. If symptoms persist despite normal results, follow up to explore other causes.
If your results show prediabetes
HbA1c is between 5.7% and 6.4%, or fasting glucose is between 100 and 125 mg/dL. Prediabetes isn’t a diabetes diagnosis. It’s a window for action. According to the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, moderate weight loss and regular physical activity can reduce the risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes by 58% in high-risk adults. Retest every one to two years. Your provider may refer you to a diabetes prevention program.
If your results indicate diabetes
HbA1c is at 6.5% or higher, or fasting glucose is at 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate occasions. Your provider will confirm with a repeat test before making a formal diagnosis. Elevated microalbumin alongside diabetes markers points to early kidney involvement. Treatment options include lifestyle changes, oral medications, and, in some cases, insulin injections. You and your provider will build the right plan based on the full picture.
FAQs
Sources
American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Diagnosis & Tests.
CDC. Diabetes Testing. Updated 2024.
CDC. National Diabetes Prevention Program. Reviewed 2024.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The A1C Test & Diabetes.
MedlinePlus. Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) Test. Updated 2025.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Screening. 2021.