How Is Diabetes Diagnosed?
If you're 45 years old or older, it's a good idea to get tested for diabetes. This test checks your blood sugar levels to see if they're normal. If they are, you should get tested again every three years just to make sure everything stays okay.
But, if you have certain things that make you more likely to get diabetes, you should get tested earlier and more often. These things are called risk factors, and they include:
- Being overweight
- Not getting much exercise
- Having a family member with diabetes
- Having high blood pressure
- Having had diabetes when you were pregnant
- Being from certain ethnic backgrounds where diabetes is more common
Tests are used for diagnosis:
- Fasting Plasma Glucose – This blood test is taken in the morning, on an empty stomach. A level of 126 mg/dl or above, on more than one occasion, indicates diabetes.
- Casual or Random Glucose – This blood test can be taken anytime during the day, without fasting. A glucose level of 200 mg/dl and above may suggest diabetes.
If any of these test results occurs, testing should be repeated on a different day to confirm the diagnosis. If a casual plasma glucose equal to 200 mg/dl or above is detected, the confirming test used should be a fasting plasma glucose or an oral glucose tolerance test.
