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NOTE:
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
Diabetes is diagnosed under varied circumstances. You may have been feeling
very ill, in which case it may come as a relief to find out what's wrong. On
the other hand, you may not have been suffering from any symptoms, or even
realised that anything was wrong - in which case the diagnosis may have come
as quite a shock to you.
Diabetes is characterised by a high blood glucose level and this is used to diagnose the condition, along with any symptoms that may be present.
Symptoms of diabetes
If you have any of the following symptoms, ask your doctor to test you for diabetes:
In Type 1 diabetes, sudden weight loss, frequent urination and constant thirst are the classical symptoms.
In Type 2 diabetes, symptoms may be more subtle and go unnoticed, or even be absent altogether. You may just be feeling 'out of sorts' and not able to define anything specific. Sometimes Type 2 diabetes is actually picked up through the detection of other problems associated with having had diabetes for some years (e.g. leg pain or ulcers caused by nerve damage and/or poor circulation).
If in doubt, get yourself checked out. There are thought to be as many as a million people in the UK who have diabetes but don't know it. Early diagnosis and treatment will help to prevent further serious health problems from developing.
Diabetes is diagnosed under the following circumstances:
The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
A glucose tolerance test is a simple test designed to see how well the beta cells in your pancreas respond to a glucose 'challenge'. The test is usually performed after an overnight fast. You will be asked to drink a set amount of glucose, dissolved in water and blood samples will be taken before and afterwards. The blood glucose tests will determine whether your body produces enough insulin to keep the blood glucose level within normal limits when it is challenged with a glucose load.
Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes (GDM)
Diagnosis of Gestational diabetes is usually made on the basis of an OGTT. If the 2 hour blood glucose test gives a result of greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/l GDM is diagnosed. The criteria for GDM are much stricter in order to protect the unborn baby. After the baby has been born you may be asked to go for another OGTT - based on the results of this you may be 'reclassified' as having either no diabetes (this is generally the case) or having either Type 1 or Type 2, or possibly IGT or IFG (see below). Usually the diabetes disappears after giving birth, but occasionally it does not and sometimes it might appear again later on in life, or in a future pregnancy.
Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)
These conditions are NOT diabetes! They are diagnosed if either your fasting blood glucose level or your blood glucose response to an OGTT are just above normal. However, you may be at risk of developing diabetes and some of its complications later on in life, so now may be a good time to stop and take a look at your lifestyle. If you are overweight, or not physically active, then doing something about it now might prevent you from developing diabetes in the future.
Blood glucose levels
Blood glucose levels in people who do not have diabetes tend to stay between about 4 and 8 mmol/l.
Click here for more information on glucose levels .
Diabetes is characterised by a high blood glucose level and this is used to diagnose the condition, along with any symptoms that may be present.
Symptoms of diabetes
If you have any of the following symptoms, ask your doctor to test you for diabetes:
- The need to urinate more than usual, particularly during the night
- Constant thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Feeling weak or tired
- Blurred vision
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
- Genital itching
- Frequent and recurring infections such as urinary tract infections, fungal infections, boils or abscesses.
- Erection impairment in men, or unusual vaginal dryness in women.
In Type 1 diabetes, sudden weight loss, frequent urination and constant thirst are the classical symptoms.
In Type 2 diabetes, symptoms may be more subtle and go unnoticed, or even be absent altogether. You may just be feeling 'out of sorts' and not able to define anything specific. Sometimes Type 2 diabetes is actually picked up through the detection of other problems associated with having had diabetes for some years (e.g. leg pain or ulcers caused by nerve damage and/or poor circulation).
If in doubt, get yourself checked out. There are thought to be as many as a million people in the UK who have diabetes but don't know it. Early diagnosis and treatment will help to prevent further serious health problems from developing.
Diabetes is diagnosed under the following circumstances:
- In the presence of classical symptoms (thirst, excessive urination, unexplained weight loss) and a random blood glucose level greater than or equal to 11.1 mmol/l or a fasting blood glucose level greater than or equal to 7.0 mmol/l or a blood glucose level 2 hours after an OGTT greater than or equal to 11.1 mmol/l
- In the absence of classical symptoms, blood tests should be repeated on at least two occasions before a diagnosis is confirmed.
The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
A glucose tolerance test is a simple test designed to see how well the beta cells in your pancreas respond to a glucose 'challenge'. The test is usually performed after an overnight fast. You will be asked to drink a set amount of glucose, dissolved in water and blood samples will be taken before and afterwards. The blood glucose tests will determine whether your body produces enough insulin to keep the blood glucose level within normal limits when it is challenged with a glucose load.
Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes (GDM)
Diagnosis of Gestational diabetes is usually made on the basis of an OGTT. If the 2 hour blood glucose test gives a result of greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/l GDM is diagnosed. The criteria for GDM are much stricter in order to protect the unborn baby. After the baby has been born you may be asked to go for another OGTT - based on the results of this you may be 'reclassified' as having either no diabetes (this is generally the case) or having either Type 1 or Type 2, or possibly IGT or IFG (see below). Usually the diabetes disappears after giving birth, but occasionally it does not and sometimes it might appear again later on in life, or in a future pregnancy.
Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)
These conditions are NOT diabetes! They are diagnosed if either your fasting blood glucose level or your blood glucose response to an OGTT are just above normal. However, you may be at risk of developing diabetes and some of its complications later on in life, so now may be a good time to stop and take a look at your lifestyle. If you are overweight, or not physically active, then doing something about it now might prevent you from developing diabetes in the future.
Blood glucose levels
Blood glucose levels in people who do not have diabetes tend to stay between about 4 and 8 mmol/l.
Click here for more information on glucose levels .
