Prediabetes: A Window of Opportunity for Prevention

Article Published on Mar 24, 2023 for Remedy Health. With risk of T2D and cardiovascular disease, early detection and interventions for prediabetes are paramount.

As rates of prediabetes continue to rise globally, early screening and timely detection are becoming increasingly important to fight this silent epidemic. While much progress has been made in understanding the risk factors for prediabetes, there remains a critical need to implement prevention strategies to delay its progression to type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Prediabetes is used to identify individuals whose glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.¹ V Mohan, MD, Chairman of Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialties Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, India, explained that prediabetes is broadly divided into two subtypes:

• impaired fasting glucose (IFG), where the fasting plasma glucose is elevated, but the two-hour value in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is normal

• impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), where 2-hour glucose value alone is elevated

Prediabetes is a critical health concern, given its high prevalence and high risk of progression to T2D.² “[It] is not only a marker of future diabetes but it is also associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Mohan said. It is important to acknowledge that several metabolic abnormalities may exist even before the onset of diabetes. For instance, a recent study from the UK estimated that almost half the study population presented with microvascular and macrovascular disease at the time of T2D diagnosis,³ highlighting the importance of timely screening for prediabetes to prevent its progression to T2D and associated complications.

Continue reading the entire article on: https://pro.endocrineweb.com/conditions/pre-diabetes/prediabetes-a-window-of-opportunity-for-prevention