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Symptoms and getting diagnosed

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

Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if you:

  • feel very thirsty
  • pee more than usual, particularly at night
  • feel very tired
  • lose weight without trying
  • have thrush that keeps coming back
  • have blurred vision
  • have cuts and grazes that are not healing

These are symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

Diagnosing type 1 diabetes

Your GP will take some blood samples and will check your blood glucose (sugar) level.

If they think you might have type 1 diabetes, they will advise you to go to hospital for an assessment.

If you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you will meet a diabetes team. This will include a diabetes nurse, doctor and dietitian.

They will show you how to:

Page last reviewed: 17 October 2023
Next review due: 17 October 2026

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