Laboratory Tests and the Pharmaceutical Care for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: a Literature Review

Abstract

The clinical pharmacist has several attributions related to the care of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and to perform them, it is necessary to have extensive knowledge about the laboratory tests that can be used for screening, diagnosis and laboratory monitoring of DM. Therefore, this literature update aims to review the general aspects of DM and provide updated information on laboratory tests that can be used for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of Type 1 Diabetes mellitus ( DM1), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), such as fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and for screening for diabetes kidney disease (DRD), such as albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It is expected that clinical pharmacists can update their knowledge on the subject, being able to adequately promote health education, therapeutic monitoring, and care for patients with DM by requesting and interpreting laboratory tests, in addition to making DM patients aware of the importance of self-care and adherence to treatment to achieve satisfactory glycemic control, which is essential for the prevention of chronic complications.