Diabetes diagnostic criteria (ADA 2026)
Endocrinology
Also known as: Diagnosekriterien für Diabetes mellitus und Prädiabetes · Diyabet ve prediyabet tanı kriterleri (ADA 2026) · Diagnostic criteria for diabetes and prediabetes (ADA Standards of Care 2026)
What it is for
Diagnosis of diabetes in non-pregnant adults by plasma glucose or haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, NGSP/DCCT-standardised assay; fasting = no caloric intake for ≥8 hours; OGTT = 75 g oral glucose tolerance test). Without unequivocal hyperglycaemia, two abnormal results are needed — two different tests from the same sample or the same test on two occasions; if two tests disagree, the abnormal one is repeated.
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Diabetes – fasting plasma glucose | ≥126 mg/dl (≥7.0 mmol/l). |
| Diabetes – 2-hour plasma glucose in the 75 g OGTT | ≥200 mg/dl (≥11.1 mmol/l). |
| Diabetes – HbA1c | ≥6.5% (≥48 mmol/mol). |
| Diabetes – random plasma glucose | ≥200 mg/dl (≥11.1 mmol/l) with classic symptoms of hyperglycaemia or a hyperglycaemic crisis (one value suffices). |
| Prediabetes – impaired fasting glucose (IFG) | fasting plasma glucose 100–125 mg/dl (5.6–6.9 mmol/l); the WHO uses 110–125 mg/dl (6.1–6.9 mmol/l). |
| Prediabetes – impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) | 2-hour OGTT glucose 140–199 mg/dl (7.8–11.0 mmol/l). |
| Prediabetes – HbA1c | 5.7–6.4% (39–47 mmol/mol). |
| Austria (ÖDG 2023) | same thresholds for diabetes and for increased diabetes risk (IFG ≥100 to <126 mg/dl, IGT ≥140 to <200 mg/dl, HbA1c ≥5.7 to <6.5%). |
Source
2. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026
ADA · Diabetes Care 2026;49(Suppl 1):S27–S49
DOI: 10.2337/dc26-S002
PMID: 41358893
- Edition
- ADA Standards of Care in Diabetes 2026 (section 2); same diagnostic thresholds in the ÖDG guideline 2023
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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