Diabetes

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

In diagnosing diabetes, your child's doctor will conduct a thorough medical history and physical examination, making note of any symptoms that may be related to diabetes. If your child's doctor suspects diabetes, a series of tests will be recommended to make a definite diagnosis. These may include:

• Blood Sugar Test -- Also known as a glucose test, this is the standard test for diagnosing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. For a fasting blood sugar, your child must not eat or drink anything for at least eight hours prior to this simple test in which blood is drawn to check their sugar levels. A diagnosis of diabetes will be made if your child has a fasting blood sugar level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or higher on two separate days. A normal fasting blood sugar level is between 70 to 100 mg/dl.

  The doctor may order a random blood sugar test. A diagnosis of diabetes will be made if your child is experiencing symptoms of diabetes and has a random blood sugar level higher than 200 mg/dl, regardless of when your child last ate, on two occasions.

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test -- This test measures the body's ability to metabolize glucose -- the sugar the body uses for energy. After an overnight fast, your child will drink a solution containing a known amount of sugar. Blood is obtained before your child drinks the glucose solution and blood is drawn again, every 30 to 60 minutes after the sugar is consumed, for up to three hours. Blood sugar levels above normal limits at the times measured may result in a diabetes diagnosis.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007