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Prevent, Delay or Reverse Prediabetes.

Prediabetes Care

Your best chance to prevent diabetes

Leaving prediabetes untreated can lead to type 2 diabetes and a host of chronic health problems, yet tens of millions of Americans don’t know they have the condition. If you have concerns, be sure to ask your Novant Health primary care provider for a prediabetes screening during your annual checkup. You can also consult directly with the registered dietitians and other specialists at our Diabetes & Nutrition clinics.

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Prediabetes FAQs

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a serious health condition that occurs when the cells in your body don’t respond to insulin normally. This causes blood sugar levels to be higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. If untreated, prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes and host of long-term health problems.

What are symptoms of prediabetes?

You can have prediabetes and not know it. In fact, it is estimated that fewer than two of every 10 Americans with prediabetes are aware they have the disease. So, if you have risk factors, ask your primary care provider to screen you for prediabetes at your next annual physical.

In the meantime, warning signs to look for include:

Increased hunger and thirst
Frequent urination
Darkened skin in the armpit or on the back and neck
Blurred vision
Weakness and fatigue
Tingling or numbness in the feet and hands
Sudden weight loss

What are prediabetes risk factors?

A risk factor is something that increases the chances of you getting a condition. In the case of prediabetes, risk factors include age, sex and ethnicity.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the older you are, the higher your risk of developing prediabetes. Men are more likely than women to have undiagnosed prediabetes. And if you're of African American, Native American or Hispanic descent, your odds increase.

Here are other common factors that can increase your risk of prediabetes:

Being overweight
Being 45 years or older
Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes
Lack of physical activity
Prior diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Turn prediabetes around before diabetes occurs

Prediabetes occurs when your fasting blood glucose, or sugar, level is above normal. It can progress to type 2 diabetes, when your body does not produce or use enough of the hormone insulin to turn glucose into energy.

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Are you at risk for diabetes?

The sooner you learn if you have prediabetes, the better your chances of preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Take the CDC's prediabetes risk quiz today.