How to Diagnose Diabetes

Also referred to as 'diabetes mellitus', diabetes is an umbrella term for a group of disorders that affect the function of the body to utilize blood glucose or blood sugar. Being diagnosed with this ailment signifies the fact that the body has too much of blood glucose in it. And this excess of blood sugar gives rise to multiple, severe complications in the body. Long term severe complications which may be caused by this disease include nerve damage, blindness, kidney damage, foot damage, heart diseases, skin disorders and disorders of the bones and joints. Let us now know about how to diagnose diabetes.

What May Indicate Diabetes?

It is needless to say that, you cannot do a true diagnosis of diabetes unless you are a doctor yourself or you show yourself to doctor. To confirm the presence of the condition, there are standard tests, which only professionals can perform. However, recognizing the classic signs and symptoms, you can at least suspect that the condition has set in.

The diabetes symptoms may differ according to the type. If you have gestational diabetes or if you are prediabetic, then the condition is mostly asymptomatic, meaning, it lacks any symptoms. The common signs and symptoms which you must know about mostly include those of type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. These include:

• You may be thirsty at most times of the day, even if you keep on drinking water. This may be the first symptom of diabetes.
• You may have to pay frequent visits to the washroom for urination.
• You would feel hungry more than normal.
• You may experience weight loss, even if you do not intend it.
• Your vision may get blurry with time.
• Fatigue would be common.
• Sores, cuts or wounds would take more time to heal.
• You may have frequent infections of gum, skin, bladder and the vaginal area.

So these are the signs and symptoms which you must be aware of in order to know how to diagnose diabetes yourself. These may be attributed as the diagnostic criteria for diabetes. But the job does not end here. If you have one or more of these symptoms, you must now go for a medical diagnosis of diabetes, which would be done by a doctor. The below would let you know about what does a doctor do to diagnose the condition.

Tests for Diagnosing Diabetes

Generally, there are two types of diabetes tests for confirming the presence of this condition. These tests include:

• Random Blood Sugar Test: As the name suggests, here a blood sample would be taken from the patient at any random time. This test does not depend on what time have you taken your meal. If the measure comes out to be 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more than that, then it confirms the high blood glucose level thus, suggesting diabetes.
• Fasting Blood Sugar Test: This test is conducted after you had been suggested to go on an overnight fast. If the test reveals a figure of something between 70 and 99 mg/dL, then the test is negative. If its 126 mg/dL or anything higher than that, then it is a case of diabetes.

These are the tests to diagnose diabetes of the type 1 or type 2.

For gestational diabetes, a blood glucose test is conducted on the mother between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. In case of prediabetes diagnosis, experts perform what is known as Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. Here, the average blood sugar level for the past 2 - 3 months is analyzed. The measure is given in percentage, and if it falls between 6 and 6.5 percent, then the test is positive. However, in some areas, this kind of test is not available. In such cases, a fasting blood sugar test and an oral glucose tolerance test is conducted. Here the patient would be asked to fast overnight and then his blood sample is taken. Thereafter, take a sugary solution, and then post about 2 hours his blood sugar level is measured. If the measure is 140 to 199 mg/dL, then the condition is diagnosed as prediabetes.

This was about how to diagnose diabetes with the help of signs and symptoms, and tests. However, as I have also said, for a true diagnosis, you have to undergo the tests which have been mentioned above. It is wise to do the tests as early as possible, as then you can initiate the treatment immediately thus, reducing the risks of complications.