“How do you know if you have diabetes?” is a common question for many people who are overweight or are growing older, especially those who have a family history of diabetes. While there certainly are some symptoms that you can watch for that can provide you with some warning, the only way that you will know for sure is to visit the doctor’s office and have your blood sugar tested. There are three primary types of diabetes that doctors test for: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as juvenile diabetes or childhood diabetes because it is usually detected before the patient reaches adulthood. The defining factor of this form of diabetes is that the body’s immune system has turned on what are known as beta cells in the pancreas. These are the cells that produce insulin for the body.
Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is usually referred to as adult onset diabetes, and is the type of diabetes people usually refer to when talking about diabetes. While it is most often diagnosed during adulthood, obesity and other factors have caused it to begin appearing in children as young as 10. The defining characteristic of type 2 diabetes is the body’s inability to utilize insulin properly due to a condition known as insulin resistance. The body produces more and more insulin until the pancreas wears itself out and can produce no more.
Gestational diabetes, obviously, occurs during pregnancy. It usually appears in the later stages of pregnancy in response the body’s increasing need for insulin. While it does usually go away after the child is born, it does leave the woman more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes later on in life.
”So, how do you know if you have diabetes?”
Diabetes is most often discovered during routine medical examinations or during blood testing for another condition. Few people actually go to the doctor to find out whether or not they are diabetic. In order to diagnose diabetes, the doctor will order either a fasting glucose test or a glucose tolerance test.
Photo Credit: Wojciech Wolak
Fasting Glucose Test
A fasting glucose test is done in the morning after you have gone more than 8 hours without eating and without drinking anything but water. A fasting glucose reading below 99 mg/dl is considered to be normal, a reading between 100 and 125 mg/dl is considered to be pre-diabetes, and a reading higher than 126 mg/dl is considered to be diabetic.
Glucose Tolerance Test
During a glucose tolerance test, your body’s tolerance for glucose is measured, starting with a fasting glucose test as a baseline. You are given a glucose solution to drink and your blood glucose levels are measured periodically over the next two hours. If your blood glucose is below 140 mg/dl at two hours, you are considered to be normal. A reading at two hours between 140 mg/dl and 199 mg/dl is considered to demonstrate impaired glucose tolerance. If, during two separate sessions, your blood glucose exceeds 200 mg/dl, you are diagnosed as diabetic.
Even though the only way to know for sure whether or not you are diabetic is to visit the doctor, there are a few warning signs that you can watch out for. If you experience increased thirst or urination, unexplained weight loss, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, or changes in your vision, the question, “How do you know if you have diabetes?” becomes an important one that you should bring up with your doctor.
