
May 30, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Aurora, Colorado, USA:
My 59 year old husband just had a 12-hour fasting blood glucose of 159 mg/dl [8.8 mmol/L], but he has none of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes you usually read about. Do we need to pursue this with his physician to do further testing for diabetes?
Answer:
Yes, you need to pursue this. Another similar fasting glucose will confirm the diagnosis of diabetes. If present, this will require a long-standing relationship with a physician who can treat him. Even though he does not have symptoms, two fasting sugars greater than 126 mg/dl [7 mmol/L] on two occasions meet the criteria. The lack of symptoms of diabetes only says that the sugars have not advanced high enough to produce symptoms.
JTL