People at risk of pre-diabetes need to get their glucose checked

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

One American in six has got pre-diabetes but does not realize it.
Diabetes is a condition that comes on slowly, with impairments in glucose metabolism occurring for many years beforehand. Since type 2 diabetes is a disease with many complications, such as heart disease and kidney disease, it makes sense to be prepared. If you have so-called pre-diabetes, it is best to know as soon as possible says Dr Mark Schutta, Director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center.

If you have pre-diabetes, there's a 75 per cent probability of developing diabetes itself within the next 30 years. There are, however, no symptoms of pre-diabetes so it is important to be aware of your risk factors. You should be screened if you have a family history, if you are African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American or a Pacific Islander and if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or are overweight. Women who had gestational diabetes while pregnant should be screened, as should those who delivered a baby weighing more than nine pounds.

There are two blood tests that can pick up pre-diabetes - the fasting blood glucose test and the oral glucose tolerance test. The first measures glucose levels when you have not been eating and the second checks out your insulin response to a glucose 'challenge'. If your blood glucose level on the second test is more than 200 milligrams per deciliter, you have diabetes. Between 141 and 199 is considered to be pre-diabetes. Having pre-diabetes does not mean you will develop diabetes itself - but it is a wake-up call to take action to protect yourself.

Source
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 2nd November 2006

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