Patients who have weak immune systems are vulnerable to getting shingles and the shingles vaccine is a live vaccine, he added. The study looked at patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (an inflammation of the spine), or inflammatory bowel disease.
Fasting Blood Glucose (Blood Sugar) Level. A value above 126 mg/dL on at least 2 occasions typically means a person has diabetes. The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. An oral glucose tolerance test is one that can be performed in a doctor's office or a lab.
Even when glucose levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, but the risks are even greater if blood sugar is not well controlled. At least 68% of people >65 years of age with diabetes die of some form of heart disease and 16% die of stroke.