Because of the high prevalence of diabetes in the United States, the medical community has become increasingly reliant on nationwide education campaigns to help combat the issue. The American Diabetes Association has recommended screening guidelines for susceptible individuals with established risk factors. The risk factors for diabetes screening include:

• Family history of diabetes
• People older than 45 years of age
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25
• Elevated fasting glucose
• Hypertension
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• History of gestational diabetes
• Abnormal lipid levels (HDL levels < 35 mg/dL and/or triglyceride level > 250 mg/dL)

The American Diabetes Association has published two online risk questionnaires to help screen for an individual’s risk for diabetes. The first tool (“Diabetes Risk Test“) requires the user to input information regarding weight, height, age, exercise history and family history. The other online tool (“My Health Advisor“) is more detailed and requires other biomedical information, such as cholesterol readings and blood pressure, which make it more applicable in a healthcare setting.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for diabetes every three years for adults older than 45 years of age and every two years if any of the above risk factors are present. Educating the patient can mitigate several of the above risk factors, such as sedentary lifestyle, hypertension and a high BMI. Proper screening goes hand-in-hand with an instructional program that can help to reduce risk factors reported in the diabetes screening guidelines.

Once laboratory tests indicate the presence of diabetes, it is necessary to diagnose the patient with either T1DM of T2DM to determine the relevant treatment options. T1DM and T2DM can usually be differentiated through the findings associated with lab tests, medical history assessment and physical examination.