Do I have Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes symptoms are usually strong, and at their onset it is often necessary to seek treatment immediately. Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes are:
- frequent urination
- thirst
- unintentional weight loss
- fatigue
In type 1 diabetes the pancreas can’t produce insulin, which causes excess accumulation of glucose, i.e. sugar, in the blood. Not identifying type 1 diabetes in time may result in life- threatening ketoacidosis.
The symptoms of ketoacidosis are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, acetone breath, drowsiness and finally unconsciousness. Type 1 diabetes is not preventable.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes typically develops slowly. Among many people type 2 diabetes is asymptomatic, or the symptoms are vague. Possible symptoms are:
- fatigue, especially after eating
- depression and irritability
- leg aches
- impaired vision
- proclivity to inflammations
Diagnosing diabetes
Diabetes is diagnosed based on laboratory tests, when
- the fasting blood sugar, i.e. blood glucose concentration (P-gluk) is 7 mmol/l or greater OR
- the glucose tolerance test shows the two-hour glucose level to be greater than 11 mmol/l OR
- the HbA1c test is 48 mmol/l or greater OR
- randomly measured blood sugar levels are greater than 11 mmol/l and the symptoms of diabetes are clear.
- The HbA1c test alone is enough to establish a diagnosis. An asymptomatic person however, requires abnormal results in both fasting blood sugar levels and the two-hour glucose tolerance test; if an abnormality is only evident in one or the other, the glucose tolerance test is redone on another day.
The precursors of diabetes i.e. prediabetes
Blood sugar levels may rise and relate an increased risk of falling ill before the onset of diabetes. Prediabetes signifies increased fasting glucose levels or impaired glucose tolerance.
- Increased fasting glucose levels (IFG) are evident when the fasting blood sugar level is 6,1 – 6,9 mmol/l.
- Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is evident when the two-hour levels of the glucose tolerance test are 7,8 – 11,0 mmol/l.
Blood sugar reference values of healthy people
- The fasting glucose level of a healthy person is 6 mmol/L or less in the morning before eating. In the two-hour glucose tolerance test, the glucose level remains less than 7,8 mmol/l.