Type 2 diabetes
Screening and Controlling Type 2 Diabetes
- Adults over the age of 40 with no known risk factors should be screened for diabetes every three years, while those with risk factors should be screened every year. The main risk factors for diabetes include: family history of diabetes, belonging to a high-risk ethnic group (Hispanic, Asian, South-Asian, Native-American and African), gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia.
- Glucose intolerance is diagnosed when the fasting blood glucose level is between 6,1 and 6,9 mmol/L and the 2- hour post 75 g glucose load is between 7,8 and 11 mmol/L. Type 2 diabetes is currently diagnosed if the fasting blood glucose level is equal to, or greater than, 7 mmol/L and if the 2-hour post 75 g glucose load is equal to, or greater than, 11,1 mmol/L. Under current guidelines for controlling diabetes, fasting (or pre-meal) blood sugar levels must lie between 4 and 7 mmol/L (optimally, between 4 and 6 mmol/L), while blood glucose levels must lie between 5 and 10 mmol/L (optimally, between 5 and 8 mmol/L) two hours after mealtime. The target value for glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is 7% or lower, and ideally 6% or lower.