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Signs of Diabetes

When attempting to diagnose patients, medical professionals look for many signs of diabetes. A few signs of diabetes exist that call for a diabetic screening: patient exhibits known risk factors, patient has conditions associated with the disorder, patient is taking medications that are known to increase risk, such as chemotherapy, antipsychotic medications and mood stabilizers.

Determining signs of diabetes can be tricky for those with type 1 because doctors are currently unaware of the ultimate cause. A few known risk factors for type 1 diabetes include family history of the disorder, exposure to cow’s milk in infancy, various childhood infections, stress, environmental/chemical exposure and mother with gestational diabetes. More risk factors exist for type 2 diabetes: obesity, apple-shaped figure (majority of individual’s weight is carried in the torso, above the hips), age (those 65 and older are three times as inclined to develop diabetes), sedentary lifestyle, family history.

Medical professionals have pinpointed a few conditions that commonly coexist with type 2 diabetes: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, history of gestational diabetes, coronary artery disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, fatty liver, cystic fibrosis, impaired glucose tolerance, hemochromatosis, celiac disease and adhesive capsulitis.

When a patient exhibits one or more signs of diabetes, medical professionals will conduct a screening for the disorder. Diabetes screenings generally involve a discussion about patient history, evaluation for known risk factors and a simple blood test. Blood tests are relatively painless; they can be administered in a physician’s office and sent to a laboratory to determine blood sugar levels within the body. There are types of blood tests that can determine signs of diabetes:

1. Fasting glucose test – blood is taken after patient has fasted for a period of time. Diabetes is suspected when plasma glucose level is greater than or equal to 126 milligrams per deciliter. This is the fastest and easiest test to administer.
2. Glucose tolerance test – blood is taken two hours after patient receives a 75 gram oral glucose load. Diabetes is suspected when plasma glucose level is greater than or equal to 200 milligrams per deciliter.
3. General glucose test – blood is taken at a random time. Diabetes is suspected when plasma glucose level is greater than or equal to 200 milligrams per deciliter.

After an individual has been officially diagnosed by a medical professional, they will often be required to check for signs of diabetes on their own. Personal diabetes tests are simple and can be administered in almost any environment. Patients are generally required to test blood glucose, but urine tests can be administered if taking blood is not possible. Urine tests are not as accurate and, therefore, do not carry as high of a recommendation. Testing blood glucose levels at home can be completed with a blood glucose meter—small, computerized machine that uses a lancet to extract a minute blood sample and read glucose levels. The sample can be taken from the forearm, thigh or fleshy part of the hand. These blood meters are rather accurate; user error accounts for the majority of mistakes. Patients should log each blood reading and discuss records with their doctor.