Diabetes runs in my family, and I have symptoms of diabetes (blurred vision, weakness, abdominal pain, and frequent urination, as well as insensitive feet, etc.), yet do not have glucose in my urine test. Is it possible to have blood sugar problems with negative urine glucose tests?

It is possible to have high sugars without finding glucose in the urine. However, it usually occurs that once symptoms of frequent urination and thirst occur, you have glucose in the urine. If you are testing the urine in the fasting state, it may not test positive. However, when sugars exceed 180 mg/dl [10 mmol/L], you can usually find glucose in the urine.

JTL

[Editor’s comment: Given your family history and symptoms of diabetes, I suggest that you have your doctor do blood sugar testing.

SS]

[Editor’s comment: 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.

Occasionally, lab blood sugar testing might be normal in an early case of diabetes, repeat blood sugar testing at the same or a different time, or performing a glucose tolerance test, might be appropriate when there is a high suspicion of diabetes despite normal initial testing.

WWQ]