In order to determine whether or not someone has Type 1 Diabetes, a urine sample will be tested to see if it contains glucose, the diagnosis will then be confirmed by a blood test. If the glucose levels are not sufficient to make a definite diagnosis then the patient may be given a glucose tolerance which entails being given a glucose drink and then half hourly blood tests for two hours to see how the body is dealing with the glucose.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) makes the following recommendations with regard to the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes:

  1. Diabetes should be confirmed by a single diagnostic laboratory glucose measurement in the presence of classical symptoms, or by a further laboratory glucose measurement. The diagnosis may be supported by a raised level of glycated haemoglobin;
  2. Where diabetes is diagnosed, but Type 2 diabetes suspected, the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes should be considered if:
  3. When diabetes is diagnosed in a younger person, the possibility that the diabetes is not Type 1 diabetes should be considered if they are obese or have a family history of diabetes, particularly if they are of non-white ethnicity.
  4. Tests to detect specific auto-antibodies or to measure C-peptide deficiency should not be regularly used to confirm the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Their use should be considered if predicting the rate of decline of islet B-cell function would be useful in discriminating Type 1 from Type 2 diabetes;

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