C-Peptide

The pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin. It controls the level of glucose(sugar) in your blood at any given time. It also helps store glucose in your liver, muscles and fats. If your body is not producing enough insulin, it is a sign of Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. The C-peptide test measures C peptides in blood. C peptide is also secreted with insulin in the pancreas. Insulin and C peptide are secreted at the same time and in almost equal quantities in the pancreas. Thus, this test helps in showing how much insulin your body is releasing. C-peptide has a half-life of 30 minutes and tends to stay in the body longer than insulin. Insulin has a half-life of 15 mins. Therefore, this test is an excellent way to measure insulin levels, especially insulin levels produced by the pancreas and exclude the insulin level in the bloodstream from injected insulin. A C-peptide test helps with the diagnosis of the Diabetes Mellitus Type. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The difference between the two is, in Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas secretes a negligible amount of insulin and negligible C-peptide. Whereas in Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas secretes insulin, but the body does not use it properly, which causes C-peptide levels to be higher than usual. If the result of the C-peptide test confirms Diabetes diagnosis, treatment should be initiated under expert guidance. You may require a C-peptide test if your glucose levels are low(hypoglycemia) and show symptoms like irregular heartbeat, uncontrolled hunger, blurred vision, dizziness and excessive sweat. Also, the test is recommended to diagnose a tumour in the pancreas. Extremely high levels of C-peptide would be suggestive of a tumour. The tumour is known as insulinoma. The C-Peptide test is used to diagnose if your pancreas is to be removed during surgery. Diabetes Mellitus is common in India due to various possible factors, such as genetic factors associated with lifestyle changes leading to conditions such as obesity. In India, however, Diabetes prevalence is higher even among those with lower weight, suggesting that relatively lean Indian adults with a lower body mass index may also be at risk. As a result, Diabetes is rapidly on its way to becoming a potential epidemic in India. At the moment, there are an alarming 62 million diabetic individuals currently diagnosed with the disease in India.