Pre-Diabetes Symptoms
Pre-Diabetes, also known as Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) or Impaired Glucose Tolerance (ITG), occurs when a person has elevated blood sugar levels that are just below the levels of a Diabetic.
According to the American Association of Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes is a
diagnosed in individuals when the individual has a Fasting Plasma
Glucose greater or equal to 100 mg/dl, but less than 126 mg/dl during a
two-hour oral glucose tolerance test. Additionally, a person might be
diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes if their blood glucose levels are greater
than or equal to 140 mg/dl, but less than 200 mg/dl after in-taking 75
grams of a glucose solution.
On the contrary, most Diabetics are diagnosed when
their blood glucose levels are 200 mg/dl or greater on two separate
occasions (testing is done twice to ensure accuracy.) With the two-hour
oral glucose tolerance text, a Diabetic will have a blood glucose level
of 126 mg/dl or higher.
your average blood glucose level over the last 3 monthsIt is the best
way to know your overall blood glucose control during this period of
time. This test used to be called hemoglobin A-1-C (pronounced HE-mo-glow-bin A-one-C) or H-b-A-1-C. The units of the A1C is %(percent).
2. The blood glucose test you do yourself
This test uses a drop of blood and a meter that measures the level of
glucose in your blood at the time you do the test. This is called self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). The units of of the meter is milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Your meter should give a plasma basis
result. That way you can compare your readings to the readings you get
from the lab’s blood work. That will give you a sense of how accurate
your technique and meter are.
|
Level of Control |
A1C Number |
|
|
6 or less |
|
Goal |
less than 7 |
|
Take action |
7 or more |
Here is a chart from the American Diabetes Association to show you
how your blood glucose testing results are likely to match up with your
A1C results. As the chart shows, the higher your self-testing numbers
are over a 3-month period, the higher your A1C result is going to be.
|
A1C Level |
Average self-test glucose numbers (plasma) |
|
12 |
345 |
|
11 |
310 |
|
10 |
275 |
|
9 |
240 |
|
8 |
205 |
|
7 |
170 |
|
6 |
135 |
Pre-Diabetes is a condition that occurs most commonly in people who
have a genetic or lifestyle predisposition to developing Diabetes.
About 57 million U.S. adults have Pre-Diabetes.
Pre-Diabetics often have similar digestive complications (see below) to Type 2 Diabetics
but their blood sugar levels are lower than those of a full-blown
Diabetic. Therefore, they may be insulin resistant, obese and have
other symptoms, but
they have not quite developed full-blown Type 2 Diabetes. The good news
is that Pre-Diabetes is NOT Type 2 Diabetes and can generally be
treated without medication.
Pre-Diabetics can often avoid getting Diabetes if they loose about 5
to 7 percent of their body fat. Studies indicate that if a Pre-Diabetic
does not lose weight, he or she will get full-blown Diabetes within 10
years of the Pre-Diabetes onset. Therefore, if you or someone you care
about has Pre-Diabetes, it is important to educate yourself about
methods of losing weight and becoming healthier so that you can avoid
getting Type 2 Diabetes.
Pre-Diabetics do have a greater risk of developing heart disease and other effects of Diabetes. Therefore, many Diabetes care professionals recommend that Pre-Diabetics take medication,
and treat Pre-Diabetes in the same manner that Worksa Diabetic would treat
Diabetes. Click each of the following to learn more about Carbohydrates, How Digestion and Diabetes interactively.
Assess your personal risk.
