What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes occurs when glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Like diabetes, prediabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, as the body cannot use it properly. This is because the pancreas in your body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin that is produced doesn’t work properly (known as insulin resistance). Insulin helps glucose enter the body’s cells, where it is used for energy.
As the name suggests, people with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Having prediabetes has also been shown to put a person at risk of having heart disease.
The important thing to remember is that if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, steps can be taken to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes and/or heart disease. With the right changes your blood glucose can even return to normal levels.
Other names for prediabetes
You may also hear prediabetes being described as:
- Borderline diabetes
- Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)
- Impaired fasting glucose (IFG)
- Impaired glucose regulation (IGR)
- Non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (NDH).
All these terms are used to describe the same condition.
Reviewed October 2009.