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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

Prediabetes treatment options

Sustained changes in diet can help reduce and regulate your blood sugar levels. Options depend on your personal metabolism, but can include eating more vegetables and healthy proteins and reducing your consumption of sugar, sweetened foods and starchy carbs.

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Weight gain is a common risk factor for developing diabetes. Incorporate a moderate 30-minute exercise routine five times a week for healthy weight management.

When you develop symptoms or risk factors for prediabetes, you need to know if the actions you take are helping to manage those risks. Schedule regular checkups with your primary care provider so they can monitor your progress.

Your primary care provider may prescribe medications to improve how your body uses glucose. For instance, studies have shown that the medication Metformin can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in some people by about 30 percent. They may also prescribe medications to control high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease.

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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.

Who treats prediabetes?

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At Novant Health, your primary care provider plays a leading role in diagnosing and treating prediabetes. They can help you prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by:

Recommending changes in diet
Recommending regular exercise
Prescribing medications to control blood pressure, cholesterol and other risk factors
Ordering tests to monitor your blood sugar levels

Should these measures fail to slow or reverse prediabetes, your primary care provider may refer you to specialists who can provide more extensive support or specialized services.

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It’s been proven that a healthy diet and regular exercise are the most effective ways to manage your blood sugar and reverse prediabetes. It’s also widely known how difficult it is to stick with healthy choices.

That’s where the diabetes educators at Novant Health Diabetes & Nutrition clinics come in. By working with our registered dieticians, nutritionists and nurses, you can come up with plans that have a greater chance of success because you built them with your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, budget and schedule in mind. Many health insurance plans pay for these services.

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If you're having trouble controlling your blood sugar level (also known as your blood glucose level), you can schedule an appointment with your primary care provider to discuss whether you might benefit from seeing an endocrinologist.

If you opt to book an appointment with an endocrinologist directly, make sure they specialize in how insulin works with your body to regulate glucose. They may recommend additional tests and suggest new treatment options.

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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.

Diabetes Care