Prediabetes Diagnosis

Prediabetes is diagnosed when the level of glucose in the blood is higher than the normal limits but not quite high enough to diagnose as Type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that subjects who develop prediabetes will probably become Type 2 diabetics inside of 10 years.

Those who are diagnosed as prediabetics have an enlarged risk of stroke and heart disease. But with even moderate loss of weight and an exercise program, these same people can usually impede or even stop Type-2 diabetes from developing.

It is recommended that those adults without symptoms who are obese or overweight and have one or more additional risk factors for diabetes be tested for Type-2 diabetes. Adults over the age of 45 should also be tested with or without risk factors – testing should begin at the age of 45 and repeated every 3 years.

The below listed tests can be used in making the diagnosis of pre-diabetes:

Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) – This is a test for blood glucose measuring in a subject after fasting for eight (8) hours.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) – This is a test for blood glucose measuring in a subject after fasting for eight (8) hours. The person then drinks a sugary or glucose containing drink and two (2) hours later another sample of blood is drawn to measure the blood glucose level.

FPG Test – This test can miss some pre-diabetes. It is more accurate when testing is conducted in the early morning. Subjects having a fasting glucose level between 100 to 124 mg/dL are diagnosed with a type of pre-diabetes called impaired fasting glucose (IFG).

OGTT Test – OGTT is the more sensitive of these two tests especially for making a diagnosis of pre-diabetes. After an eight (8) hours fast, a blood sample is taken before the beginning of the test. The subject is then asked to drink a glucose solution and in two (2) hours another blood sample is drawn to measure the blood glucose level. If this last sample measures the blood glucose level as being between 140 to 199 mg/dL the subject can be diagnosed with a type of pre-diabetes referred to as “impaired glucose tolerance” (IGT). This means the subject is at a bigger risk for becoming a Type-2 diabetic but at the time of the test does not currently have it.

Remember if you are 45 years of age or older, with no symptoms, you should have one of the above listed tests every 2-3 years.