Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes

 

Prevention is better than prevention.  But with Diabetes, this only holds true with Type2 diabetes.  Early diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is the best we can do. The first step is in knowing what the risk factors are.  The following is a checklist of some of the risk factors:

-          Child, adolescent or young adult

-          Has a history of diabetes in the family

-          Was given cow’s milk formula rich in Vitamin D during infancy

If a person thinks he or she may be at risk, it is best to consult with a doctor and talk about probabilities and consider taking tests for the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. There are three types of tests doctors recommend for diagnosis, and tests depend on each patient’s situation.

1.      Fasting Blood Sugar or FBG - This requires that the patient fast for at least eight hours.  This means no consumption of food or beverage except for water within the required eight hours.  A blood sample is then drawn from the patient. The blood is test for glucose levels and a result of over 126 mg/dl or higher is indicative of diabetes. Sometimes another sample is drawn on a different day for confirmation.  Normal glucose level for people without diabetes is 70 to 110 mg/dl.

2.      Random Blood Glucose – This test is also taken from a blood sample but does not require fasting.  The time of your last meal is not taken into consideration either.  A normal person’s glucose levels rise and fall during a whole day but never reaches 200 mg/dl, this reading indicates diabetes.

3.      Oral Glucose Tolerance Test or OGTT –  This test is used to measure how the patient’s pancreas manage the glucose received by the body.  A baseline fasting blood glucose is taken and then you are requested to drink a sugary beverage.  In the next two hours, blood glucose levels are taken every 30 minutes. This diagnosis of type 1 diabetes more helpful than the first two.  A person with type 1 diabetes will see a sharp rise in the blood glucose level but will sustain that level for the next two hours which means the body does not have enough insulin to lower the glucose levels.

Early diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is only the first step in managing the disease but it is crucial since some children may drift into a diabetes induced coma.  A good health care provider, a healthy lifestyle along with recommended diabetic food is also most helpful when living with type 1 diabetes.