Do I have diabetes?
Consultant Endocrinologist,
Sunder Lal Jain Hospital,
New Delhi
Q: I had been diagnosed with high blood glucose in December 2002 (first time the random reading was 248 and second time it was 288 the next day). After 10 days I checked my blood glucose level and it had come to a normal level. Now whenever I check my blood sugar level, it is normal. I have also tested HbA1c (glycosylated haemoglobin) the result was 5.1 and Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the following are the results (Fasting: 64mg, 1/2 hr: 175mg, 1 hr: 185mg, 1 1/2 hr: 113mg and after 2hrs it was 102mg ). I am not taking any medicine for the blood sugar. I am on a normal diet with less sugar. I would like to know whether I have diabetes? If so how come my blood sugar level was very high that time? Is there any other tests required to clarify my doubt?
A:Possibilities:1. You may have been unwell in December and therefore your blood glucose (BG) was high. Once you improved your BG also dropped to normal: unlikely because your GTT and HbA1c are also normal, but theeoretically possible if your illness was short and severe.2. There was a lab error: less likely because you mentioned it was repeated the next day.Keep an eye on your BG: perhaps get a fasting and post-prandial level every month initially, then if it stays normal, perhaps every quarter. For diagnosis of diabetes there are no other tests, and in any case you have had the GTT and HbA1c done.