Botched testing procedures at an NHS hospital in Bedfordshire may have unnecessarily scared up to 11,000 Brits into falsely believing they have diabetes.
According to the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the facility had what it called an “intermittent issue” with the equipment that tests for blood glucose levels over time. So-called “A1C” tests measure markers in the blood that indicate the average blood sugar level of a patient over the prior few months. The Trust says the problems with their machines may have caused blood samples to be mixed up in the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
Because of this, some patients may have been given false test results that show much higher blood sugar levels than the patient actually had.
Diabetes is a disorder that fouls up how the body processes glucose (sugar) for energy. Type I diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, usually occurs when the pancreas produces no insulin or too little insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps the body break down sugar. Without it, blood sugar levels become toxically high. Over time, organ damage sets in. Acute episodes of extremely high blood sugar can be fatal.
Type II diabetes occurs when the body produces insulin, but the receptors that it binds to become “burnt out”. Type II diabetes is usually caused by excess weight. Those with Type II often have few or no symptoms, and may be unaware of high blood glucose levels for years before being diagnosed.
The Trust says up to 11,000 patients in South Bedfordshire may have received bad test results, and the health facility is contacting them. A spokesman said patients should not be surprised to get a phone call asking them to come to the office again for another blood draw. The Trust promises to get in touch with each patient who may have been given faulty test results.
Only those who receive a letter or a phone call should go to the Trust for another A1C test. Those whose results were not affected and have not been invited back for re-testing will be turned away.
The Trust apologized for the alarm this is causing patients and says they are conducting a thorough investigation to figure out the cause and prevent the mishap from occurring again.