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Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed following routine blood tests. However, you should see a GP straight away if you have any symptoms of diabetes or you're concerned about your risk. To diagnose type 2 diabetes: Your GP will arrange a blood test to check your blood sugar levels.
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Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing to diagnose diabetes. An HbA1c of 48mmol/mol (6.5%) is recommended as the cut off point for diagnosing diabetes. A value of less than 48mmol/mol (6.5%) does not exclude diabetes diagnosed using glucose tests.
Diagnose type 2 diabetes on the basis of a fasting plasma glucose level of 7.0 mmol/L or more. If there is uncertainty about the use of HbA1c in the diagnosis or monitoring of type 2 diabetes, seek advice from the specialist diabetes team or clinical biochemistry.
- Blood Tests Used to Diagnose Diabetes
- Other Information About Testing and Diagnosis
- Diagnosed with Diabetes – What Next
- If You’Re at Risk of Getting Type 2 Diabetes
We will explain below the different blood tests that could be used to diagnose your diabetes. Your doctor will ask you about any symptoms you have and will then decide which type of blood test to use. Having blood tests doesn't need to be worrying, they’re straightforward and shouldn’t take very long. Depending on the test you have you may be requi...
Urine tests
A urine test for glucose on its own can’t diagnose diabetes. It will show your doctor if there is any sugar in your urine, not how much or the possible cause.
Testing for diabetes at home
Home testing kits bought over the counter can’t diagnose diabetes. Neither can testing equipment used by people with diabetes, like blood glucose meters. They will show only your blood sugar levels at the moment you test.
Eye tests
An optician can’t diagnose diabetes. But during an eye test, they can spot eye damage that can affect people with diabetes called diabetic retinopathy.They will then advise you to see your doctor to get tested.
Being told you have diabetes or prediabeteswill probably come as a shock. Being diagnosed with a long-term condition feels different for everyone. You might not know how to cope or what to do next. But if you get the right treatment and support, you can manage it and live well with diabetes. It’s usually quite difficult to take everything in and re...
Your blood tests may show high levels of blood sugar, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. So you don’t have diabetes, but you’re at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. We have more information about reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes
Diagnosis. Use the World Health Organization criteria to establish a firm diagnosis of diabetes in a non-pregnant adult: [69] Fasting plasma glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L (≥126 mg/dL), or. Plasma glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L (≥200 mg/dL) 2 hours after 75 g oral glucose, or. Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥48 mmol/mol (≥6.5%), or.
In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded that HbA1c can be used as a diagnostic test for diabetes as long as stringent quality assurance tests are in place and assays are standardised to criteria aligned to the international reference values, and that there are no conditions present which preclude its accurate measurement1.
People also ask
How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?
How does a doctor diagnose diabetes?
What blood test is used to diagnose diabetes?
How do doctors diagnose diabetes & prediabetes?
Your doctor can diagnose diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes using blood tests. The blood tests show if your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, is higher than the range that is healthy for you. Blood tests can also help identify the type of diabetes you have.
