Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease
Exams and Tests
People with type 2 diabetes should see a health professional every 3 to 6 months throughout life for tests and exams to monitor the condition and adjust treatment. You also need yearly screening tests for eye problems (diabetic retinopathy
) and kidney problems (diabetic nephropathy).
Tests you need, and how often you need them Time interval Exams and tests Every 3 to 6 months Visit your health professional for:
- A review of your blood sugar levels since your last checkup. Your health professional may evaluate whether your treatment needs to be changed.
- A blood pressure check. Keep your blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg.6 If you have high blood pressure, ask whether you should monitor your blood pressure at home.
- An examination of your feet for signs of injury, infection, or other foot problems.
- A hemoglobin A1c or similar test (glycosylated hemoglobin, or glycohemoglobin). If your blood sugar levels are stable and your treatment hasn't changed, this test may be done every 6 months.
Every 6 months Visit your dentist for an exam to check for gum problems.
Every year Visit an ophthalmologist or optometrist for a dilated eye exam (ophthalmoscopy) to look for signs of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, which is increasing in people with diabetes. Some health professionals may recommend less frequent eye exams if you have no signs of diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
Visit your health professional for:
- A fasting cholesterol (LDL and HDL) and triglyceride test. If your levels are normal, you may be tested every 2 years.
- Keep your LDL cholesterol level less than 100 mg/dL, or aim for keeping it at 70 mg/dL, your triglyceride level less than 150 mg/dL, and if possible, men need to keep their HDL cholesterol level more than 40 mg/dL and women more than 50 mg/dL. 7
- A thorough examination of your feet, including testing your ability to feel a thin, flexible piece of plastic.
- A urine test for protein, an indicator of kidney damage. Either of the following tests may be done:3
- Microalbuminuria dipstick test, to estimate the amount of protein in a urine sample
- Spot urine test for microalbuminuria, to measure the exact amount of protein in a urine sample
If one of these urine tests shows 30 micrograms or more of protein per milligram (mcg/mg) of creatinine in your urine, you have some amount of kidney damage.
Other possible tests
You may also need:
- A blood glucose test. This test may be used to check the accuracy of your blood sugar meter to see whether your home blood sugar tests are reliable. It also may be done if your health professional is adjusting your diabetes medicine.
- An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), if you have had a heart attack or have heart disease or high blood pressure. An EKG may be done after a diabetes diagnosis even if you have not had a heart attack, because people with diabetes have a higher-than-average risk of heart disease. The test also provides a baseline against which to compare future tests in case of chest pain.
- An exercise electrocardiogram (treadmill EKG test) before you begin a vigorous exercise program.
- An electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction study, if your health professional suspects that you may have diabetic neuropathy.
- An ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement, which can be used to test for peripheral arterial disease if you are older than 50.
Eye exams during pregnancy
If you become pregnant, you need to have an ophthalmoscopy during the first 3 months and close follow-up throughout pregnancy and for 1 year after delivery, because pregnancy increases your risk for eye disease.8 If you already have eye disease and become pregnant, the eye disease can rapidly become worse.
More information
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: August 14, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism | |
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