Prediabetes = 50% chance of getting diabetes in 5+ years
People with prediabetes have up to a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes over the next 5-10 years. So you need to do something now.
In this article we well describe 10 facts and figures about diabetes; and focus on what you need to do.
1. What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes is a potentially serious health condition where the blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. It means you may develop type 2 diabetes later in life, after months or years. Some call it ‘borderline diabetes’.
Of those with prediabetes, more than 80% don’t know they have it.
Prediabetes puts you at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (and therefore eye, leg and kidney problems, and heart attacks and strokes).
2. Diagnosis
By testing your blood sugar level.
- Normal human blood sugar = 4-6 mmol/L
- Diabetes is diagnosed if you have a random blood sugar > 11 mmol/L (twice)
- Prediabetes is diagnosed if your random blood sugar = 7-11 mmol/L (twice).
3. What about HbA1C?
The haemoglobin A1C test (HbA1C) measures your average blood sugar level over the last 3 months. This test doesn’t require fasting and can be done any time.
- Normal HbA1c = 20-41 mmol/mol (or 4-6%)
- Prediabetes is diagnosed if your HbA1c = 42-47 mmol/L (6-6.5%) (twice)
- Diabetes is diagnosed if your HbA1c = 48 mmol/mol or over (>6.5%) (twice).
So. An HbA1C value of 42-47 mmol/mol is diagnostic for prediabetes. The higher the A1C, the higher the risk that your prediabetes will progress to type 2 diabetes.
4. Symptoms
There are usually no symptoms. It is a silent problem that you don’t know you have. Hence it often goes undetected until it develops into type 2 diabetes. It is important to talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested, if you have any of the following risk factors.
5. Risk factors
- Being overweight or obese
- Being Black or Asian
- Being 45 years or older
- Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Being physically active less than 3 times a week
- Ever having gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
- Having polycystic ovary syndrome.
6. Is prediabetes reversible?
Yes. If you have prediabetes, losing weight if you are overweight, and getting regular physical activity, can: (1) reverse it, or at least (2) significantly lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It can even go away completely, so you do not have diabetes or prediabetes.
7. Does ‘prediabetes’ mean I am definitely going to get diabetes?
There are no guarantees, but there’s a lot of evidence that making lifestyle changes now, can dramatically reverse the direction your health is headed in. So, no, you do not have to end up with diabetes.
8. Prediabetes = Prevent-diabetes. What should I do?
Think of prediabetes as a fork in the road. If you ignore it, you risk developing type 2 diabetes. You need to:
- Lose a significant amount of weight (usually 10%+), if you are overweight or obese
- Start regular physical activity
- Focus on related diseases, e.g. high blood pressure and cholesterol.
9. Long-term follow-up of prediabetes
If you have (or have had) prediabetes, you need your blood sugar monitoring for the rest of your life – every three months.
10. Outlook
The outlook for people with prediabetes is described in the title of this article.
Summary
We have described 10 prediabetes facts and figures, emphasising there is a 50% chance of getting diabetes in 5-10 years.
It is a warning that you may get type 2 diabetes one day. But it is definitely reversible.
You need to do something now; focus on your weight and health generally if you have prediabetes.
