HbA1c
What it can tell you
An estimate of glucose exposure over roughly the previous two to three months.
A useful next question
Could anaemia, a haemoglobin variant, kidney disease or recent treatment change affect interpretation?
UNDERSTAND THE REPORT · DO NOT SELF-DIAGNOSE
Understand your diabetes reports
A red or green laboratory flag is not the whole story. Trends, symptoms, medicines and your health context change what a result means.
Fasting and after-meal glucose
What it can tell you
Snapshots that help reveal timing and patterns HbA1c can hide.
A useful next question
Were the readings taken correctly, and do they repeatedly rise or fall at a particular time?
Creatinine and eGFR
What it can tell you
Related measures used to estimate kidney filtering function.
A useful next question
Is the trend stable, and do any medicines need review for this kidney-function level?
Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)
What it can tell you
Looks for small amounts of albumin leakage that may appear before symptoms.
A useful next question
Could exercise, fever, infection or another temporary factor have affected the sample?
Lipid profile
What it can tell you
Includes cholesterol measures and triglycerides used in cardiovascular-risk assessment.
A useful next question
What matters for my overall heart and stroke risk—not only whether a value is marked red?
Liver tests
What it can tell you
May signal liver-cell stress but do not diagnose fatty liver or fibrosis by themselves.
A useful next question
Do medicines, alcohol, viral hepatitis, metabolic fatty liver or another cause need consideration?
Look at the pattern, not one value.
Taking previous reports, your medicine list and glucose log helps your clinician understand the trend.
Bring the reports to your consultation.
An online explanation cannot provide the full clinical interpretation of an abnormal result.
Prepare for a visit →Author and medical reviewer
Dr. Pratyush Kumar · DNB Family Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital · DFID Diabetes Fellowship, CMC Vellore
Medically reviewed October 2026 · General education, not an individual prescription.