When I mention blood work, my five year daughter panics and also gets very upset at the site of her own blood! Is there a test that can be done to diagnose diabetes (such as a urine test) that is less invasive than a blood test? Help!

The answer is no! The presence of glucose in the urine is certainly suggestive of diabetes, but it is no way sensitive enough nor specific. One definition of diabetes is a fasting glucose level more than 126 mg/dl [7 mmol/L], but glucose is usually not “spilled” into the urine until the blood glucose level is more than 180 mg/dl [10 mmol/L]. So you can see that urine testing is not good enough.

We understand the desire to not have blood drawn. Fingerstick glucose levels can also screen, but a periodic blood draw from a vein is necessary to not only confirm glucose levels but to also check for other issues that can complicate diabetes.

DS