What is pre-diabetes?

• A person who has higher than normal blood sugar but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes
• Blood tests help determine if a person has pre-diabetes
• Persons with pre-diabetes are at risk of developing diabetes
• Diabetes is a lifelong health condition that keeps sugar in the get to the cells that need it.

How do I know if I have pre-diabetes?

• There are usually no symptoms of pre-diabetes.
• The best way to diagnose pre-diabetes is by a blood test:
• A fasting blood sugar (FBS) or a oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

What is a fasting blood sugar (FBS) test?

• This means that a sample of the blood is drawn usually in the morning–after not eating or drinking (except water) for 8-12 hours
• The concentration of glucose or sugar in the blood is examined
• FBS results:
  • Pre diabetes=100-125 mg/dl
  • Diabetes=126 mg/dl or higher
  • Two FBS are required to confirm diagnosis
  • A normal FBS is below 100 mg/dl

What is mg/dl?

• This means milligrams/deciliter
• mg/dl is a unit of measurement used to measure blood sugar concentration
• This measurement may also be written as mg%

What is oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)?

• A 2 hour oral glucose tolerance test
• This test usually follows an FBS
• The person being tested is given a concentrated sugar drink
• 2 hours after the sugar drink, another blood test sample is drawn to check the level of glucose present in the blood

OGTT results

• OGTT measures fasting blood sugar before and after a person drinks a solution containing concentrated glucose (sugar),
• OGTT results mean pre-diabetes if:
  • FBS is 126 mg/dl or less
  • And the second test is 140-199 mg/dl two hours after the glucose drink

Who should be screened for pre-diabetes?

• ALL overweight adults and adolescents
• Those with one or more of the following:
  • Family history of diabetes
  • High bad cholesterol, high triglycerides
  • High blood pressure
  • History of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing 9+ pounds
  • Being Native American

• Because of the high rates of diabetes in Native Americans all overweight adolescents and adults should be screened yearly for diabetes.

Taking care of pre-diabetes can prevent diabetes

The good news is:

• A person who has pre-diabetes can prevent or delay getting diabetes, if they eat a healthy diet and get daily physical exercise
• Some persons with pre-diabetes may be placed on low dose diabetes medication to help lower the blood sugar