27th May 2025

Criteria for diagnosis of DM (WHO)

If the patient is symptomatic, only one positive test from the criteria below is required to diagnose DM, if they are asymptomatic, two positive tests on two separate occasions are required to make a diagnosis.

• Random plasma glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L OR
• Fasting plasma glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L OR
• Plasma glucose level ≥11 mmol/L after OGTT OR
• HbA1c ≥48 mmol/mol (≥6.5%) – note that HbA1c can be unreliable if a patient has any concurrent condition affecting red blood cell survival.