Prediabetes

Prediabetes is a warning that you could be on the way to getting diabetes. It’s when your blood sugar is higher than normal but has not yet gotten to the level of Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes can turn into diabetes if you don’t make changes to your lifestyle, such as eating healthy meals, losing weight and moving more.

Prediabetes affects children and adults. If you or a loved one has a high chance of getting diabetes, get tested for it often. This includes if someone in your family has Type 2 diabetes, you had diabetes while pregnant, or you have heart disease or low HDL (good) cholesterol.

Just because you have prediabetes doesn’t mean you will develop diabetes. There are things you can do to bring your blood sugar levels back to normal. It’s never too late to turn things around.

What is prediabetes?

Before people develop Type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes”—blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes, so you may have it and not know it. Some people with prediabetes may have some of the symptoms of diabetes or even problems from diabetes already. You usually find out that you have prediabetes when being tested for diabetes.

If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for Type 2 diabetes every one to two years.

Signs and Symptoms

Most people with prediabetes don’t have any signs or symptoms which means you can have the disease and not know it. But you might notice you’re more thirsty, pee a lot more, are very tired, or have blurry eyes.

It’s important to see your doctor if you’re worried about diabetes or if you notice any symptoms of diabetes. Ask your doctor about a blood sugar test.