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Am I Diabetic?
How are diabetes and pre-diabetes diagnosed?
The following tests are used for diagnosis diabetes and pre-diabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes:
- A fasting plasma glucose test measures your blood glucose after you have gone at least 8 hours without eating. This test is used to detect diabetes or pre-diabetes.
- An oral glucose tolerance test measures your blood glucose after you have gone at least 8 hours without eating and 2 hours after you drink a glucose-containing beverage. This test can be used to diagnose diabetes or pre-diabetes.
- In a random plasma glucose test, your doctor checks your blood glucose without regard to when you ate your last meal. This test, along with an assessment of symptoms, is used to diagnose diabetes but not pre-diabetes.
Positive test results should be confirmed by repeating the fasting plasma glucose test or the oral glucose tolerance test on a different day.
What factors increase my risk for type 2 diabetes?
To find out your risk, check each item that applies to you.
- I am 45 or older.
- I am overweight or obese (see the body mass index [BMI] information below).
- I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
- My family background is African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino.
- I have had gestational diabetes, or I gave birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
- My blood pressure is 140/90 or higher, or I have been told that I have high blood pressure.
- My cholesterol levels are not normal. My HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) is 35 or lower, or my triglyceride level is 250 or higher.
- I am fairly inactive. I exercise fewer than three times a week.
Checking My Weight
BMI is a measure used to evaluate body weight relative to height. You can use BMI to find out whether you are underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Use the following table provided by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse to find your BMI.
- Find your height in the left-hand column.
- Move across in the same row to the number closest to your weight.
The number at the top of that column is your BMI. Check the word above your BMI to see whether you are normal weight, overweight, or obese. If you are overweight or obese, talk with your doctor about ways to lose weight to reduce your risk of diabetes or pre-diabetes.
When should I be tested for diabetes?
Anyone 45 years old or older should consider getting tested for diabetes. If you are 45 or older and your BMI indicates that you are overweight, it is strongly recommended that you get tested. If you are younger than 45, are overweight, and have one or more of the risk factors, you should consider testing. Ask your doctor for a FPG or an OGTT. Your doctor will tell you if you have normal blood glucose, pre-diabetes, or diabetes. If your blood glucose is higher than normal but lower than the diabetes range (called pre-diabetes), have your blood glucose checked in one to two years.
Points to Remember
- Diabetes and pre-diabetes are diagnosed by checking blood glucose levels.
- Many people with pre-diabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
- If you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes with a low-fat, low-calorie diet, modest weight loss, and regular physical activity.
- If you are 45 or older, you should consider getting tested for diabetes. If you are 45 or older and overweight, it is strongly recommended that you get tested.
- If you are younger than 45, are overweight, and have one or more of the risk factors, you should consider testing.
Some people have no symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Take this test from the American Diabetes Association to see if you are at risk for having or developing type 2 diabetes.
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