If your health professional suspects that you have
prediabetes or
type 2 diabetes, he or she will do a medical
examination that includes:
- Measuring your height and weight. For children
and teens, height and weight will be compared with what is considered normal
for their age groups.
- Checking your
blood pressure, once while you are standing and again
while you are sitting.
- Checking your
thyroid gland. Your health professional will check
this gland by feeling it while you swallow. Thyroid problems sometimes develop
in people with diabetes.
- Listening to your heart and lung sounds
and checking your blood flow (pulse) in your arms, legs, and feet. Your health
professional also may listen to the blood flow in your neck (carotid) arteries
for evidence of plaque buildup from
atherosclerosis.
- Checking for a skin
condition called
acanthosis nigricans, which is associated with
insulin resistance.
- Checking for signs of
Cushing's syndrome, a rare disorder that develops when
the body is exposed to too much of the
hormone cortisol. Some people with diabetes also have
Cushing's syndrome. Symptoms include a large percentage of body fat in the
abdominal area (central obesity), skin that appears very tan, and the
appearance of reddish stretch marks on your skin.
