Different from diabetes, prediabetes is actually a condition where a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than a normal person’s but is not enough to be classified as diabetes. Prediabetes is a ‘premonition’ of diabetes, which is type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is normally linked to insulin resistance which is the risk factor of diabetes type 2. To determine whether you have prediabetes, there are two tests which is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG).

Besides the tests mentioned, it is also advisable to monitor and check for prediabetes symptoms. One of the common symptoms is that you might find yourself feeling thirsty more often and more easily. Blurred visions may also occur. The reason for such symptoms is that fluids are needed desperately by the body to balance the level of glucose in the bloodstream. High sugar level causes the blood to become more concentrated and lots of water is needed to dilute them. Concentrated blood can coagulate and block the bloodstreams, causing more severe complications instead such as heart attacks and stroke. You might also find yourself going to the toilet more often, including urination at night. This symptom is caused by excessive glucose that has to be taken out of the body. Two symptoms that happen at the same time are extreme hunger despite large appetite and weight loss without any apparent reason. When diabetes is existent, this means that cells are deprived of glucose as their energy source and body will resort to self –cannibalism by consuming muscles and fat to be fed to body cells. Extreme hunger happen because more food is needed to feed the cells as glucose can’t be transported into body cells. Wounds will also heal slower as cells can’t operate according to their usual capacity. Frequent infection also happens as the body’s immune system is weakened. Acanthosis nigricans is another significant symptom that can be observed in people with prediabetes. It is actually dark patches of skin in the creases of the skin caused by excessive insulin in the body.

What are the medications for prediabetes? Doctors may recommend thiazolidinediones and metformin if they think that it’s appropriate for usage. However, the most effective medication is by changing your lifestyle. This means having a healthy diet, exercise daily and stopping harmful habits such as smoking and drinking. Basically, the purposes of the activities are to boost the bodily immune system and to make the cells to be active and resume their normal functions.

Prediabetes is still in a stage where full-fledged diabetes can still be prevented before it becomes worse. If you have the mentioned symptoms, take care of it and it may make a difference.