Diagnosing Diabetes

Diagnosing diabetes can be done with a variety of tests, the most popular being the fasting blood glucose test. This test will confirm diabetes in a patient if results show a blood glucose level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of more or blood after an 8 hour fast. If results show a result of 100 to 125mg/dL, this is known as pre-diabetes. A second test result is called the oral glucose tolerance test, which is a blood glucose level of 200 mg or more 2 hours after drinking a beverage with 75 grams of glucose dissolved in water. If the results show numbers ranging from 140 to 199, the patient will be diagnosed with pre-diabetes. The final test result to diagnose diabetes is a blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or more taken from a patient with diabetic symptoms at a random time of day. Gestational diabetes is measured using the oral glucose tolerance test because glucose levels in pregnant women are usually lower. Some patients may also be diagnosed with pre-diabetes, which is characterized by blood glucose levels being higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, about 50% of US adults ages 40-74 had pre-diabetes in 2000. Patients who suffer from pre-diabetes, however, also have a greater change to reduce the chances of developing diabetes later in life. Studies have shown that patients who reduce their body weight by 5-7% lowered the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 60%.

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Related Topics...

• Diabetes Overview
• Diagnosing Diabetes
• Types of Diabetes
• Managing Diabetes
• Researching and Curing Diabetes
• Symptoms and Signs of Diabetes
• Complications of Diabetes