How to Diagnose Type 1 Diabetes in an Adult

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects more than 20 million Americans. However, diabetes type 1 is also classified as an autoimmune disorder because the immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin for the body. It's not understood why this occurs, but many researchers believe that it may be due to the presence of abnormal antibodies. Since diabetes type 1 can lead to severe complications, it's important to understand how the process used to diagnose diabetes type 1 in an adult works.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• List of symptoms

1. Know the symptoms of diabetes type 1 to help your doctor make a diagnosis. Tell your doctor if you experience unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, frequent urination, chronic fatigue, or feeling hungry all the time.

2. Be prepared to have a complete physical exam to check your weight, blood pressure and heart rate before you undergo other tests to help diagnose diabetes type 1.

3. Get ready to take a stick or plastic strip into the 'loo.' A urinalysis will reveal glucose and ketone levels in the body.

4. Have your blood sugar level checked. A blood glucose test will be performed with or without fasting for a period of time. A blood glucose measurement of 200 mg/dL, however, is usually followed up with a fasting glucose test. A diagnosis may be confirmed if blood glucose levels measure 126 mg/dL or more after fasting.

5. Expect that an insulin test may come next. This test is used to measure either low blood levels of insulin or excessive levels.

6. Know that a C-peptide test may also be in order to confirm a diagnosis of diabetes type 1. C-peptide is a by-product generated by the body while producing insulin in the pancreas.

Tips & Warnings

• Diabetes type 1, also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases. It usually appears in childhood, but sometimes its presence may not be clear until one is a young adult.
• If you report one or more symptoms of diabetes type 1, your doctor may order tests to diagnose the disease and recommend diet and lifestyle changes.
• If your symptoms include blurred vision or muscle cramps, see your doctor without delay. This could be a sign of ketoacidosis, a condition in which toxins (ketones) build up in the blood stream and can lead to a life-threatening coma.
• Your chance of developing diabetes type 1 increases if you have a close family member with the disease.

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