What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes occurs when glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

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 reduce the risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes. 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.