How to Find Out if You Have Diabetes

Diabetes indicates too much glucose in the blood. Diabetes affects about 23.6 million children and adults in the United States alone. The symptoms of diabetes can vary depending on the type of diabetes one has; however, those with pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes may not experience any symptoms.

Instructions

• 1

  Monitor yourself for common diabetes symptoms. Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes are frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue and irritability. Common symptoms of type 2 diabetes are any of the type 1 symptoms in addition to symptoms such as frequent infections, blurred vision, cuts/bruises that are slow to heal, tingling/numbness in the hands/feet and recurring skin, gum or bladder infections.

• 2

  Evaluate if you are at high risk for diabetes. Certain people are more at risk then others for getting diabetes. For example, you are more at risk for developing diabetes if you: are older than 45 years of age; are overweight; do not regularly exercise; have a relative with diabetes; have given birth to a baby that weighed more than nine pounds; had gestational diabetes during pregnancy; or are of African American, Hispanic American/Latino, Native American, Asian American or Pacific Islander descent.

• 3

  Get tested for diabetes if you have symptoms or are at risk for developing diabetes. There are a few different ways to test for diabetes, such as a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test, a random blood sugar test, a fasting blood sugar test and an oral glucose tolerance test.