Becoming informed and getting tested for prediabetes is one of the first steps for making the changes that will significantly lower your chances of developing this chronic condition. People in my family often ask me how likely it is that they will develop diabetes and whether they can do anything to prevent it.
In my fairly large extended family, there are a wide variety of personalities, experiences and ages. Due to my medical training, I'm often pulled aside at parties or called on the phone to diagnose all sorts of symptoms and conditions my family members are experiencing. Since there are people in my family with type 2 diabetes, one of the issues I've been asked about is prediabetes symptoms.
Prediabetes and its Symptoms
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), prediabetes is something that usually exists before a person goes on to develop type 2 diabetes.
While most people understand that diabetes and blood sugar levels are somehow related, they may not understand the link. As the Mayo Clinic explains, the relationship has to do with how a person's body manages sugar, or glucose.
The Mayo Clinic describes glucose as the main kind of fuel that helps keep our bodies running. When a person develops diabetes, the problem lies directly with a hormone called insulin. The Mayo Clinic explains that insulin is produced by the pancreas, a gland that sits just behind the stomach. Normally, the pancreas secretes this hormone so that our bodies can move the glucose in our blood (from our food) into our cells. According to the Mayo Clinic, diabetics either don't produce enough insulin or have cells that are resistant to its action. Either way, in these situations the cells become starved for an important source of energy.
The Mayo Clinic explains that prediabetes symptoms are often non-existent or difficult to spot. The site explains that one possible sign is known as acanthosis nigricans, which is darkened skin, commonly found on the neck, elbows, knees, armpits and knuckles.
Type 2 diabetes symptoms are easier to spot, according to the Mayo Clinic. As well as the darkened skin, symptoms include the following:
People who eventually develop diabetes may be in a prediabetic state for quite some time. In fact, the Mayo Clinic states that if no action is taken, prediabetics are likely to become diabetics in 10 years or less.
According to the ADA, one of the risk factors for diabetes is family history. My own family wants to understand more about prediabetes symptoms so they can recognize the warning signs.
As I mentioned above, though prediabetes symptoms may be minimal, diabetes itself is associated with a number of different symptoms. One of my relatives with diabetes ??? a colorful and hilarious man in his 70s ??? experienced many of the symptoms more than 20 years ago and was subsequently diagnosed with diabetes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, all of the symptoms he experienced were directly related to his cells being starved for glucose. The site explains that the thirst and frequent urination were caused by buildup of glucose in his blood, pulling fluid from his tissues and making him have to visit the bathroom more often. The sluggishness was a result of his cells not having enough fuel to keep them running properly.
Unfortunately, even though the ADA explains that a prediabetes state may already be leading to damage to the heart and circulatory system, and many people will go on to develop diabetes, the lack of prediabetes symptoms, as explained by the ADA, means many people may not notice the changes that are developing quite gradually.
Prediabetes Tests and Risk Factors
According to the ADA, there are a number of simple blood tests you can take to determine if you're prediabetic. The diagnosis is made when a person's blood glucose level is found to be higher than normal but not high enough to be officially diagnosed with diabetes.
So, that's good news ??? it's possible to identify a prediabetic. But it begs the question that many in my own family ask: How should a person know whether or not he should be tested?
Well, the answer to that question is fairly straightforward. The Mayo Clinic explains that anyone with risk factors for prediabetes should be tested. Those risk factors include the following:
The site also explains that recent studies show that sleeping less than six hours or more than nine hours a night might increase your risk for prediabetes and diabetes.
If a person is tested and found to be in a pre-diabetic state, there are things he can do to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The ADA states that a person with prediabetes can lower his risk of becoming a diabetic by 58% by losing 7% of his body weight (15 pounds for a 200-pound person) and by moderately exercising ??? they give the example of a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
While my family and I have a higher risk of developing diabetes, the good news for us and many others is that there are easy ways to find out whether we're prediabetic or likely to develop diabetes.
Damie is a physician currently receiving postgraduate training in anatomic and clinical pathology. She previously completed rotations in internal medicine, family medicine and psychiatry during medical school training.