Diagnosis

Diabetes is diagnosed by testing the blood for sugar levels. Blood is taken in the morning after you have fasted overnight. Typically, the body keeps blood sugar levels between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), even after fasting. If a blood sugar level after fasting is greater than 125 mg/dL, diabetes is diagnosed.

Your doctor will examine you to look for signs that you have complications or risk factors that increase the risk of complications. These include:

• Obesity, especially abdominal obesity (waist circumferences greater than 40 inches in men or 35 inches in women)

• High blood pressure

• Deposits or areas that have leaked blood on your retina, seen through an instrument called an ophthalmoscope during an eye examination

• Decreased sensation in the legs

• Weak pulses in the feet or an abnormal pulses in the abdomen

• Blisters, ulcers or infections of the feet

Laboratory tests that are used routinely to evaluate diabetes include:

• Fasting glucose, a test of your blood sugar level after you have not eaten for several hours

• Hemoglobin A1C, which indicates how close to average your blood glucose has been during the previous two months

• Blood creatinine and urine microalbumin for evidence of kidney disease

• Lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol) to evaluate the risk of atherosclerosis

Expected Duration

Diabetes is a lifelong illness. Aging and episodic illness can cause the body's insulin resistance to increase, so additional treatment typically is required over time.