How to Know if You Have Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin and the body' s tissues become resistant to normal or even high levels of insulin. This raises blood sugar, which can lead to a number of complications if not treated.

Things You'll Need

• Observation

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Instructions

• 1

  Know the risks. If you have a family history of diabetes or you're obese, you have a significantly increased risk of developing the condition.

• 2

  Note teh symptoms. Diabetes starts as a silent disease therefore you may not notice any symptoms in the beginning. As disease progresses, you may notice frequent urination, excessive thirst and unusually increased appetite.

• 3

  If disease has advanced, you may start to have blurred vision, erectile dysfunction, pain, numbness and ulceration in the feet and suffer frequent infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection or abscesses.

• 4

  Have your doctor conduct laboratory tests, including a fasting blood glucose test (blood glucose measured after not eating or drinking for 8 to 12 hours). A value of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes. Random blood glucose can be drawn at any time during the day. A level of 200 mg/dL or higher suggests a diagnosis of diabetes.

• 5

  Undergo a full slate of tests, including a Hemoglobin A1C test (A1C). This test indicates the average blood glucose level during the past three months. It is used to monitor blood glucose control but is not normally used to diagnose diabetes. Normal values are 4 to 6 percent. Oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) is the most sensitive test and is reserved for diagnosing pre-diabetes.