May 8, 2003
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Stanley, New Mexico, USA:
About two weeks ago, my father had a blood sugar reading of 246 mg/dl [13.7 mmol/L] and was diagnosed With type 2 diabetes. Ever since then, he has been doing his own blood checking three times a day, and it ranges from 80-110 mg/dl [4.4-6.1 mmol/L], but he has not drastically changed his eating habits or exercise yet, and we are very confused. Is there a chance he was misdiagnosed? Should we get a second opinion from a specialist in diabetes?
Answer:
The usual definition for diabetes requires the documentation of two abnormal results on separate occasions. Any combo of two will do. See Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes. Home glucose monitoring is not the gold standard, and the diagnosis should be based on laboratory testing. If your father hasn’t had a second measurement, you might ask the physician if he really has diabetes.
JTL