Tag: blood glucose

What is Prediabetes?

Karen Griffith

Diabetes illness concepts word cloud illustration. Word collage concept.

I ask each patient about his general health. I often hear prediabetes as a health issue. Prediabetes means the blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is the stage where lifestyle changes can significantly improve health and prevent the development of diabetes.

Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by losing 7% of your body weight (that’s 15 pound if you weigh 200 pounds) and exercising 30 minutes a day.

Symptoms are not always present with prediabetes. To accurately diagnose prediabetes your doctor will do some blood tests.

  • A1C measures your average blood glucose for the past 3 months.

Normal           less than 5.7%

Prediabetes    5.7% to 6.4%

Diabetes          6.5% or higher

  • Fasting Plasma Glucose tests your blood glucose after you have not eaten or drank anything for at least 8 hours.

Normal            Less than 100 mg/dl

Prediabetes     100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl

Diabetes           126 mg/dl or higher

People with prediabetes are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you are prediabetic you may have no symptoms or you may have the same symptoms as someone with diabetes. The best way to find out if you’re prediabetic is to see your doctor and have your blood tested.

Diabetes A1C Test

Karen Griffith

Diabetes illness concepts word cloud illustration. Word collage concept.

What is a diabetes A1C test? The hemoglobin A1C is a blood test that is a regular part of diabetic care. It is done every 3-4 months. The benefit of the A1C test is that it provides a measure of how your blood glucose levels have averaged over the past 2-3 months and provides a “picture” of overall blood sugar control. Sugar builds up in your blood and combines with your hemoglobin, becoming “glycated,” the average amount of sugar in your blood can be found by measuring your hemoglobin A1c level.

The daily blood glucose checks that are done at home or in the doctor’s office measure the blood glucose level at that moment. The A1C test measures the blood sugar over time and is extremely important for monitoring how well your diabetes is controlled.

For people without diabetes, the normal range for the hemoglobin A1c test is between 4% and 5.6%. Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7% and 6.4% indicate increased risk of diabetes, and levels of 6.5% or higher indicate diabetes. Because studies have repeatedly shown that out-of-control diabetes results in complications from the disease, the goal for people with diabetes is a hemoglobin A1c less than 7%. The higher the hemoglobin A1c, the higher the risks of developing complications related to diabetes.
One of these complications due to high blood sugar is diabetic retinopathy. Since diabetes primarily affects the blood vessels, it is very important to have a dilated eye examination at least once a year. The retina inside the eye is the only place in the body where blood vessels can easily be examined.