Prediabetes: Fast Facts
Reviewed By:
Nikheel Kolatkar, M.D.
- Prediabetes is a condition in which glucose (blood sugar) is above normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is a problem because it can damage the blood vessels, heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes and other organs.
- Prediabetes is detected with a blood test, typically the fasting plasma glucose test or the oral glucose tolerance test.
- The fasting plasma glucose test indicates prediabetes if your blood glucose is between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A result of 99 mg/dL or below is considered normal, and 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.
- The oral glucose tolerance test, which is performed after you drink a sweet solution, reveals prediabetes if your blood glucose two hours after drinking the solution is between 140 and 199 mg/dL. A result of 139 mg/dL or below is considered normal, and 200 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.
- The vast majority of cases of type 2 diabetes, which is by far the most common form of diabetes, are preceded by prediabetes. However, not everyone with prediabetes eventually develops diabetes.
- In women, prediabetes can increase the risk of a condition during pregnancy that is called gestational diabetes.
- About 54 million American adults have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Seven percent of American adolescents have prediabetes, the U.S. government estimates. That's 2 million teens. Younger children can also be prediabetic.
- Prediabetes is a growing problem in other developed nations and even in developing and poor parts of the world.
- You don't get prediabetes just from eating sugar. But sugar provides empty calories rather than nutrition and can lead to weight gain. Excess weight and obesity are big risk factors for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. And some studies have found that sugary or high-carb diets might contribute to the development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
- In addition to being overweight, risk factors for prediabetes include advancing age, high blood pressure, race and a family history of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
- Though experts generally consider type 2 (and type 1) diabetes to last the rest of a person's life, prediabetes can be reversed. Treatment can bring blood sugar back to normal and keep it there, though patients should periodically be monitored by their doctor.
- Treatment of prediabetes typically focuses on losing extra pounds, exercising regularly and eating properly.
- People with prediabetes often have high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels. These conditions are also risk factors for type 2 diabetes and other disorders and need to be treated, usually with exercise and diet and often with medication too.
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