C-Peptide, Fasting
Understanding C-Peptide, Fasting
What is C-Peptide, Fasting?
C-Peptide, Fasting measures the amount of C-peptide in blood in a fasting state. C-peptide is secreted by the pancreas in parallel with insulin. Hence, it can be used as an indicator of the amount of insulin produced in the body. This test is mainly used to distinguish between Type I and Type II diabetes. Type I diabetes is characterized by negligible amounts of insulin and C-peptide. However, in type II diabetes, insulin and C-peptide levels are usually high.
What is C-Peptide, Fasting used for?
The C-Peptide, Fasting should be performed:
- To help evaluate insulin production by the beta cells in the pancreas
- To help determine the cause of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) whether it is due to insulin-producing tumors in the body or due to insulin injections (medicinal insulin)
- To monitor how well the insulinomas (tumors) are responding to the treatment - decreasing levels of C-peptide indicate a response to treatment; levels that are increasing may indicate a tumor recurrence
- To distinguish between type I and type II diabetes mellitus
- To help evaluate a person diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
- After pancreatic transplantation - In the case of pancreatic islet cell transplants, intended to restore the ability to make insulin, C-peptide levels may be used to verify the effectiveness of treatment and continued success of the procedure.
Interpreting C-Peptide, Fasting results
Interpretations
High levels:
· A high level of C-peptide generally indicates a high level of endogenous insulin production which may be in response to high blood glucose levels caused by glucose intake or insulin resistance.
· High levels of C-peptide are also seen with insulinomas.
· High levels of C-peptide may be seen with low blood potassium, Cushing syndrome, and renal failure.
Low levels:
- A low level of C-peptide indicates a low level of insulin production by the beta cells that can be seen in diabetes or when production is suppressed by treatment with exogenous insulin.