Making the Diagnosis
To diagnose diabetes, doctors will take a medical history (ask you about symptoms) and ask for blood and urine samples. Finding protein and sugar in the urine are signs of type 2 diabetes. Increased glucose and triglyceride (a type of lipid or fat) levels in the blood are also common findings. In most cases, blood glucose levels are checked after a person has been fasting for 8 hours. If the fasting blood glucose level is greater than 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL), then a diagnosis of diabetes is made. If the fasting blood glucose level between 6.1 mmol/L and 6.9 mmol/L (110 mg/dL and 125 mg/dL), the person has impaired glucose tolerance and may go on to develop diabetes. Diabetes is also diagnosed if a blood glucose level taken two hours after eating is greater than 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL). A doctor may also examine the eyes for signs of damage to the blood vessels of the retina (back of the eye).