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Symptoms and getting diagnosed

Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if

you have symptoms of type 1 diabetes, including:

  • feeling very thirsty
  • peeing more than usual, particularly at night
  • feeling very tired
  • losing weight without trying
  • thrush that keeps coming back
  • blurred vision
  • cuts and grazes that are not healing

Type 1 diabetes symptoms can come on quickly, particularly in children.

Getting tested for type 1 diabetes

Your GP will do a urine test and may check your blood glucose (sugar) level. If they think you might have type 1 diabetes, they will advise you to go to hospital straight away for an assessment.

You'll stay in hospital until you get the blood test results. This is usually the same day if you are well enough.

If you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a diabetes nurse will show you the things you need to do to start managing it, such as:

Page last reviewed: 1 August 2020
Next review due: 1 August 2023

This project has received funding from the Government of Ireland’s Sláintecare Integration Fund 2019 under Grant Agreement Number 9.