Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is relatively simple to diagnose. If you or your child has symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, your healthcare provider will order the following tests:

• Blood glucose test: Your healthcare provider uses a blood glucose test to check the amount of sugar in your blood. They may ask you to do a random test (without fasting) and a fasting test (no food or drink for at least eight hours before the test). If the result shows that you have very high blood sugar, it typically means you have Type 1 diabetes.
• Glycosylated hemoglobin test (A1c): If blood glucose test results indicate that you have diabetes, your healthcare provider may do an A1c test. This measures your average blood sugar levels over three months.
• Antibody test: This blood test checks for autoantibodies to determine if you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Autoantibodies are proteins that attack your body’s tissue by mistake. The presence of certain autoantibodies means you have Type 1 diabetes. Autoantibodies usually aren’t present in people who have Type 2 diabetes.

Your provider will also likely order the following tests to assess your overall health and to check if you have diabetes-related ketoacidosis, a serious acute complication of undiagnosed or untreated Type 1 diabetes:

• Basic metabolic panel: This is a blood sample test that measures eight different substances in your blood. The panel provides helpful information about your body’s chemical balance and metabolism.
• Urinalysis: A urinalysis (also known as a urine test) is a test that examines the visual, chemical and microscopic aspects of your urine (pee). Providers use it to measure several different aspects of your urine. In the case of a Type 1 diagnosis, they’ll likely order the test to check for ketones, which is a substance your body releases when it has to break down fat for energy instead of using glucose. A high amount of ketones causes your blood to become acidic, which can be life-threatening.
• Arterial blood gas: An arterial blood gas (ABG) test is a blood test that requires a sample from an artery in your body to measure the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood.