Assessment
› Laboratory Tests That May Be Ordered
• Diagnosis is based on any of the following two tests drawn on different days:
– Fasting plasma glucose levels of 126 mg per dL (7.0 mmol per L) or higher. (Note: Fasting plasma glucose < 100 is considered normal; 100–125 is
considered prediabetes)
– Two-hour postprandial plasma glucose readings of 200 mg per dL (11.1 mmol per L) or higher after a glucose load of 75 g
– Nonfasting blood glucose level of 200 mg per dL (11.1 mmol per L. To convert glucose to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0555) or higher in a symptomatic
patient
• Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, which reflect long-term glycemic exposure, may be increased (> 6.5%) in DM2. Perform an HbAIc test initially,
then twice a year
• UA may show abnormal levels of acetone or glucose
• Tests may be ordered to differentiate between DM1 and DM2
– Islet cell autoantibodies will be present in early-stage DM1 but not in DM2
– C-peptide levels are decreased in DM1 and normal or elevated in DM2
• Additional tests may be required to evaluate the extent of complications. Testing for DM2 and prediabetes should be implemented in children and
adolescents with 2 or more risk factors in addition to obesity