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Diagnosing diabetes: are doctors being over-enthusiastic?

They do seem to have got sloppy about administering OGTT for a positive diagnosis. It's the only "Official"" diagnostic test.
Hana
PS
NICE guidelines say that lifestyle changes should be tried as the first line of treatment. That would satisfy that writer.
H
 
Why don't they do the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) as a matter of course?

If, as suggested, it's the only conclusive method of diagnosis then surely we should all have had one? :?

I haven't had one, but from all my pre diagnosis ailments it's pretty obvious that I am T2.

I'll ask the nurse the next time I see her.

Incidently, how often should I be seeing her? What space between appointments do other forum users normally have?
 
If, as the news item says, someone is only marginally over the norm on a blood test then a GTT is the best way to determine diabetes.

If, however your blood test shows massive amounts of glucose and also you show typical symptoms, then that is also a diagnosis in the absence of an explanation for high levels.
 
Guidelines for diagnosis don't say that an OGT has to be done, these are the same as the WHO guidelines and have been used in the UK for 10 years now. (I don't think they've changed recently)
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us...ations/New_diagnostic_criteria_for_diabetes_/

1. Diabetes symptoms (ie polyuria, polydipsia and unexplained weight loss) plus

a random venous plasma glucose concentration >=› 11.1 mmol/l
or
a fasting plasma glucose concentration ›>= 7.0 mmol/l (whole blood › 6.1mmol/l)
or
two hour plasma glucose concentration ›>= 11.1 mmol/l two hours after 75g anhydrous glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
2. With no symptoms diagnosis should not be based on a single glucose determination but requires confirmatory plasma venous determination. At least one additional glucose test result on another day with a value in the diabetic range is essential, either fasting, from a random sample or from the two hour post glucose load. If the fasting or random values are not diagnostic the two hour value should be used
Click to expand...

A commitee from the The American Diabetes Association (ADA), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes have recently recommended using an HbA1c of over 6.5% for diagnosis .
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704021
 
I don't think doctors are in the least bit over-enthusiastic and I would say the reverse is true if my own struggle to get a diagnosis is anything to go by. :roll:
 
My personal experience was that I was getting health screened through work, due to my working environment, hearing, eyes, etc, and one year after doing the pee in the pot, the lass there said "ooh you seem to have sugar in your urine" - checking the records previously had no record of it before. She recommended I went to see the GP and he poo pooed it suggesting it was done right after lunch etc, so wouldnt be accurate. Even went as far as saying she wasnt qualified to make any diagnosis! Did a blood test anyway to rule it out, especially as every member of my mothers side is a T2, and surprise, I was part of the club! 8) 8)
 
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