If there is diabetes in you family. Should you get your children tested?

I would think that the doctor would be monitoring this, given the family history - it should be a part of their usual visit!

I have diabetes on both sides of my family. My children are 6 and 8 and have never been tested. They show no outward symptoms of having diabetes, but should I ask for them to be tested anyway?

I'd talk it over with the doctor - the odds are that if they've been given blood tests that it's an automatic test done, but you can ask anyway...

They have never had blood tests done. Either one of them. Should I ask for a blood test to be done?

I'd definitely talk it over with your doctor - but there's also other symptoms, such as drinking a lot of fluids and the like that also signal diabetes.

sure can't hurt to get the lines of communication open!

According to the ADA, Merck, NIDDK and CDC, NDEP

regardess wether children show current signs of the disease is immaterial. Sicne we are seeing such a prevalence of MODY and Metabolic Syndrome( borderline) it is reccmended that every year that anyone whos family has a histpory of the disease, espcially if they were diagnosed befor ethe age of 60, to ahve a total glucose tolerance test done. This is considered a bseline to monitor trends.

I am 16th generation Daibetic. My daughter has already been tested and is placed on a monitoring schedule with her own glucose meter. Simply as a precautionary measure. Its nto that ucomfortable, and she tetss when she feels a need to.

julie

Would you go to your own doctor for this or would I ask for a referal to a specialist?

Your own doctor should consider and begin testing based on teh fact that family has it. That is what is called protocols.
Specialists are really for those who are already disbetic and Dxd. But some also do the screenings for suspect syndroms too.