I am a 17 year old who was diagnosed with hypoglycemia about two years ago, I have a strong family history of diabetes and I had a blood sugar of 175 mg/dl [9.7 mmol/L] at 1:00 am. I see a diabetes doctor for the hypoglycemia, and I am on a strict diet for that. My diabetes doctor said there is a possibility I could develop diabetes. Should I be worried about the blood sugar level of 175 mg/dl [9.7 mmol/L]?

Your blood glucose reading may be a little on the high side, and it would be important to have this checked out. A definitive test would be to have an oral glucose tolerance test, which will check whether you are able to cope with a glucose load and is a sensitive test for diabetes. You should talk this over with your doctor.

JS

[Editor’s comment: As Dr. Schulga indicates, testing for diabetes should include blood sugar levels performed by a medical laboratory. The timing of the sample (fasting, random, or postprandial) would influence how high a level is considered abnormal. See Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes for further information.

WWQ]