July 15, 2003
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from :
From Baltimore, Maryland, USA
I have been diagnosed with many endocrine related problems that a person with diabetes would have later in life (Vitamin B12 deficiency, and high cholesterol), but I have always had a normal A1c (4%) and high glucose levels are never above 190 mg/dl [10.6mmol/L]. If anything I’m experiencing lows lately. I was overweight before and gained it fast, but now I have lost way past what I weighed in high school and am still losing gradually. Do I have type 1 or type 2 diabetes or is there something else going on?
Answer:
The acute symptoms for diabetes are frequent urination, extreme thirst, weight loss, and blurring of vision. Your physician can perform a fasting glucose and answer this question quite easily. I would not guess as to what is causing the weight loss you speak of. A hemoglobin A1c of 4% is quite low and is in keeping with normal blood sugars. I would suggest that vitamin B12 deficiency and hypercholesterolemia are common in the general population that you do not have to have diabetes with them.
JTL
