Prediabetes: What You Need to Know
The signs and symptoms and what you can do to prevent it.
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Do You Know the Dangers? - A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes, yet only 10 percent of adults over 20 know it. Read up on how this disease affects you, the signs and symptoms and what you can do to prevent it. — Kellee Terrell (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)
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What Is Prediabetes? - Prediabetes is a precursor to Type 2 diabetes, which means that your body is having issues breaking down the sugars in your blood. But because it’s in the early stages, your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes yet, says the American Diabetes Association. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)
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African-Americans and Prediabetes/Diabetes - Here’s what we know about diabetes and Black folks: 4.9 million of us have it, we are 1.8 times more likely than whites to develop it and 2.2 times more likely to die from it. Most people with diabetes were prediabetic first, so this is a serious health concern in our community that we all need to pay attention to. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)
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What Are the Symptoms and Signs? - That’s what is tricky about prediabetes, some people don’t have any symptoms and some symptoms grow over time and go unnoticed. Symptoms include fatigue, unusual thirst, blurred vision, cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal, recurring gum, bladder and/or skin infections and tingling in your hands and feet. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)
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What Are the Risk Factors? - They include: Being overweight/obese; having a family history of diabetes; having heart disease; having low “good” cholesterol and high “bad” cholesterol; having a history of gestational (pregnancy induced) diabetes; giving birth to a baby that weighed over 9 pounds; being a person of color and being 45 or older. But keep in mind, you can be any age and be prediabetic. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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How Can I Be Tested for It? - The only way to know for sure if you are prediabetic is getting tested by your doctor. Doctors can use one of three tests: Fasting plasma glucose test (FPG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or an A1C test. Talk to your primary health care physician about getting tested, especially if you have many of the risk factors. (Photo: Rick Gershon/Getty Images)
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Prepping for Your Test - You have made your doctor’s appointment, but there some things that you can do to prepare for it, says Mayo Clinic. Make sure that you know of any restrictions — some tests may require that you do not eat 12 hours or more before the test. Jot down any symptoms you may have had so you can talk to your doctor about it and a list of any medicines or vitamins you are taking. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)