Prediabetes
When to Call a Doctor
The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends screening for prediabetes—which may lead to type 2 diabetes—if you:13
- Are overweight and are age 45 or older. Get checked for prediabetes during your next routine office visit.
- Are at a healthy weight and are age 45 or older. During a routine office visit, ask your doctor if testing is appropriate.
- Are younger than 45 and overweight—body mass index, BMI, of 25 or greater—and have one or more other risk factors for type 2 diabetes. These include:
- High blood pressure, over 130/80 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg).
- Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and high triglyceride.
- A family history of type 2 diabetes. People who have a parent, brother, or sister with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes have a greater risk of getting the disease than adults who do not have a family history of the disease.
- A history of gestational diabetes or having a baby weighing more than 4 kg (9 lb). Women who have had gestational diabetes or who have had a large baby are at greater-than-average risk for getting type 2 diabetes later in life.5
- Risk due to race and ethnicity. People of African, Hispanic, Aboriginal, Asian, and Pacific Island descent are at greater risk than whites for getting type 2 diabetes.5
- Are overweight and get little or no exercise and want to help reduce your risk for getting type 2 diabetes.
If your fasting blood glucose (sugar) level is between 5.7 and 6.1 millimoles per litre (mmol/L), you may have an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to rule out prediabetes.
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| Author: | Carrie Henley Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: November 7, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism | |
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