Symptoms of prediabetes
Prediabetes is also known as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose. It usually affects adults between the ages of 40 and 60.
In the rare cases when prediabetes does cause symptoms, they are often very subtle. This means they can be easily overlooked or mistaken for other health problems.
Signs of prediabetes include:
- Too hungry or thirsty
- Tired
- Polyuria (frequent urination)
Complications
If left untreated, prediabetes can progress to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition that causes a number of health complications, including:
- Vascular disease (vascular disease)
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Neuropathy (nerve damage)
- Slow wound healing
- Tendency to infection
Reason
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It helps the body's cells store glucose, an important source of energy. This helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
If you have prediabetes, you may produce enough insulin. However, the cells in your body are resistant to insulin and its effects. This leads to low energy and slightly elevated blood sugar levels.
Risk factors
The exact cause of prediabetes is unknown. However, there are some known risk factors. For example, people who do not exercise much may be at risk of developing prediabetes. Other risk factors include:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- High cholesterol levels
- Obesity
- Excess body fat, especially in the abdominal area
It's not clear whether these health problems cause or are caused by prediabetes. It's also possible that they're all caused by something else.
