How Long Does It Take Pre
Borderline suggests that youre nearing a boundaryin this case blood sugar over 126 mg/dL. This is the boundary or border that separates pre-diabetes from type 2 diabetes. Borderline also suggests that you may cross that boundarybut then again you may not.
And this is absolutely true. Depending on your diet and lifestyle, you may exist in that pre-diabetic borderline state for mere months before you develop type 2 diabetes, or you may be on the borderline for years or even decades. In some cases, you may never develop full-fledged diabetes at all.
While most people diagnosed with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, simple lifestyle changes can stop short your progression along the diabetes continuum. Changing your eating and exercise habits can ensure that pre-diabetes never becomes type 2 diabetes, and can even return your blood sugar to normal levels.
So how long does it take pre-diabetes to become type 2 diabetes? The honest answer is that it depends entirely upon you. If you see pre-diabetes as pre-destined to develop diabetes and you make no changes in your diet and lifestyle, you can expect to follow the path to type 2 diabetes within 5 10 years.
If, however, you see borderline diabetes for what it isa warning of a boundary or border you dont want to cross drawing nearyou can take action. You can make the changes that will return you to health before you progress over the boundary line.
Eating A Healthy Balanced Diet
What you eat can make a difference to how you feel and how you manage your condition. Thats why weve got a huge range of tasty and nutritious recipes ready for you to try.
Whether youre cooking up a feast for dinner, or looking for something lighter for lunch, weve got you covered. Simply search by ingredient, meal type or dietary requirement and enjoy eating with diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes Explained In More Detail
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas, or more specifically specialised cells within the pancreas called beta cells, fail to produce insulin. Most people with type 1 diabetes develop the condition when the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells. This is why type 1 diabetes is referred to as an autoimmune disease. Why this occurs is the source of much scientific investigation but put simply it is likely that the immune system is confused and recognises beta cells as being a foreign object and wages a war against them. The fall in insulin production can either be rapid or slow. People with type 1 can therefore either develop symptoms rapidly over a few weeks or months or more slowly over a few years.
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Are There Different Types Of Diabetes
The most common ones are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children. It is also called juvenile onset diabetes mellitus or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In this type, your pancreas does not make enough insulin and you have to take insulin injections for the rest of your life.
Type 2 diabetes, which is more common, usually occurs in people over 40 and is called adult-onset diabetes mellitus. It is also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In Type 2, your pancreas makes insulin, but your body does not use it properly. The high blood sugar level often can be controlled by following a diet and/or taking medication, although some patients must take insulin. Type 2 diabetes is particularly prevalent among African Americans, American Indians, Latin Americans, and Asian Americans.
Whats The Outlook For People With Prediabetes
Prediabetes increases your risk of having diabetes, heart disease and stroke. But you can take steps to lower your risk.
Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can stay healthy, including:
- Getting regular blood sugar tests and other screening tests you may need.
- Working toward a healthy weight.
- Getting regular exercise.
- Taking medications you may need.
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Mental Health And Diabetes
Living with and managing either type 1 or type 2 diabetes can lead to stress, anxiety and depression. This can affect your blood glucose levels and how you manage your diabetes in general. Over time, this can affect your health.It is important to talk to your doctor if you are going through times of stress, depression or anxiety. Your doctor can refer you to a counsellor or psychologist by providing a diabetes mental health plan. This is Medicare rebated.Other help is available, including:
- online resources
Diabetes Sick Day Rules
If you need to take insulin to control your diabetes, you should have received instructions about looking after yourself when you’re ill known as your “sick day rules”.
Contact your diabetes care team or GP for advice if you haven’t received these.
The advice you’re given will be specific to you, but some general measures that your sick day rules may include could be to:
- keep taking your insulin it’s very important not to stop treatment when you’re ill your treatment plan may state whether you need to temporarily increase your dose
- test your blood glucose level more often than usual most people are advised to check the level at least four times a day
- keep yourself well hydrated make sure you drink plenty of sugar-free drinks
- keep eating eat solid food if you feel well enough to, or liquid carbohydrates such as milk, soup and yoghurt if this is easier
- check your ketone levels if your blood glucose level is high
Seek advice from your diabetes care team or GP if your blood glucose or ketone level remains high after taking insulin, if:
- you’re not sure whether to make any changes to your treatment
- you develop symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis
- you have any other concerns
Read more about sick day rules
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Can A Person With Diabetes Have A Kidney Transplant
Yes. Once you get a new kidney, you may need a higher dose of insulin. Your appetite will improve so your new kidney will break down insulin better than your injured one. You will use steroids to keep your body from rejecting your new kidney. If your new kidney fails, dialysis treatment can be started while you wait for another kidney. Learn more about kidney transplant.
How Is Diabetes Treated
Diabetes can be treated in several ways. Diet, physical activity, and careful monitoring are important if you have diabetes, no matter which type of diabetes you have.
If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life. Thats because your pancreas doesnt produce the insulin your body needs.
If you have type 2 diabetes, it may be possible to control your diabetes with lifestyle changes, such as diet, weight loss, and exercise. You may also need to take oral or injectable medications, including insulin or metformin, to manage your blood sugar levels.
If you have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, youll need to carefully track your diet to prevent your blood sugar levels from getting too high. This generally means watching your carbohydrate intake as well as limiting over-processed, low fiber foods, such as:
- fruit-flavored yogurt
- flavored coffee drinks
Your doctor will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan to help you control your blood sugar levels.
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Young People And Diabetes
Although it can be diagnosed later in life too, type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes found in children. We know that this can mean you have to make changes to how you and your family live your life, but were here to help.
Whether youre a parent in need of advice about schools and caring for a child with type 1, or a young adult looking for information about going to university and becoming more independent, weve got a range of resources to help you understand more about diabetes and how to manage it.
Is It Possible To Reverse Prediabetes
Reversing prediabetes is possible by making lifestyle changes. Many people can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes by losing weight, increasing physical activity and following a healthy diet. There are many programs available to help people live healthy lives and reverse prediabetes symptoms. To find a plan that works for you, talk to your healthcare provider or find resources through the National Diabetes Prevention Program .
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Causes Of Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakes the cells in your pancreas as harmful and attacks them.
Without insulin, your body will break down its own fat and muscle, resulting in weight loss. This can lead to a serious short-term condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. This is when the bloodstream becomes acidic, you develop dangerous levels of ketones in your blood stream and become severely dehydrated.
This results in the body being unable to produce insulin, which is required to move glucose out of the blood and into your cells to be used for energy. This is called Type 1 diabetes.
Read more about the causes of type 1 diabetes
How Is Diabetes Diagnosed
Many people get tested for diabetes because they develop symptoms that are potential early warning signs.
For example, people with type 1 diabetes may experience unintentional weight loss or develop flu-like symptoms. People with type 2 diabetes may experience extreme thirst or frequent urination.
You may experience one or more of the warning signs associated with diabetes. If you do, its important to contact your doctor for an appointment.
You may also discover a diabetes diagnosis after visiting your doctor for another condition or for routine blood work.
If you make an appointment with your doctor due to diabetes warning signs, they will want to know:
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and will likely run some blood tests.
There are several tests that can diagnose diabetes. These include:
- A1C: This test shows what your blood glucose level has averaged for the last 2 or 3 months. This does not require you to fast or drink anything.
- Fasting plasma glucose : You will need to fast for at least 8 hours before this test is done.
- Oral glucose tolerance : This test takes 2 to 3 hours. Your blood glucose levels are tested initially and then repeated at intervals for 2 hours after youve consumed a specific sweet drink.
- Random plasma glucose test: You can have this test done any time and do not need to be fasting.
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You May Need Medication
If you are at high risk of developing diabetes, your doctor may recommend medication to help you manage it. Medications to control cholesterol and high blood pressure may also be prescribed.
If youre concerned about having prediabetes or are experiencing symptoms of diabetes, its a good idea to contact your primary care physician for advice.
Topics
Is There A Cure For Type 1 Diabetes
There is currently no cure for Type 1 diabetes, but scientists are working on ways to prevent or slow down the progression of the condition through studies such as TrialNet.
Scientists are also working on research into pancreatic islet transplantation an experimental treatment for people who have brittle diabetes.
Pancreatic islets are clusters of cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Your immune system attacks these cells in Type 1 diabetes. A pancreatic islet transplant replaces destroyed islets with new ones that make and release insulin. This procedure takes islets from the pancreas of an organ donor and transfers them to a person with Type 1 diabetes. Because researchers are still studying pancreatic islet transplantation, the procedure is only available to people enrolled in a study.
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What Are Prediabetes And Diabetes
Having prediabetes means your blood glucose levels are higher than normalbut not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Prediabetes can often be reversed.
With type 2 diabetes, your body cannot properly use insulin . You can get type 2 diabetes at any age, but you are at higher risk if you are older, overweight, have a family history of diabetes, are not physically active, or are a woman who had gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that some women get when they are pregnant. Even if a womans blood sugar levels go down after her baby is born, she is at higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes later in life.
With type 1 diabetes, your body cannot make insulin, so you need to take insulin every day. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.
If you want to learn more about the basics of diabetes and prediabetes, you can visit CDCs Diabetes website.
Read the National Diabetes Statistics Report to learn more about the toll that diabetes is taking in the United States.
Go To The Doctor Immediately To Minimise The Risk Of Complications
Spotting the signs of diabetes early on is vital and can help prevent the development of serious complications.
The earlier diabetes is diagnosed, the earlier it can be treated and controlled which, in turn, will reduce the risk of complications.
In people with type 1 diabetes, a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis is common. If untreated, this can result in extremely serious complications and even death, but it can be the first indicator of the presence of type 1 diabetes.
This occurs when acid compounds, ketones, form in the blood. A doctor testing you for type 1 diabetes may also wish to test for ketones to prevent ketoacidosis occurring.
If type 2 diabetes is left undiagnosed for a number of years, it could lead to the development of the following prior to diagnosis:
Read more about how diabetes affects the body.
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How Is Prediabetes Diagnosed
To test for prediabetes, your healthcare provider will use a blood test. You may have:
- Fasting plasma glucose test, which tests your blood after you have fasted for eight hours .
- A1C test, which provides your average blood glucose level over the past two to three months.
You would be diagnosed with prediabetes if:
- Your fasting plasma glucose test is 100 to 125 mg/dL .
- Your A1c test is 5.7% to 6.4% mg/dL diabetes is 6.5% or higher).
Overweight Obesity And Physical Inactivity
You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or have obesity. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. The location of body fat also makes a difference. Extra belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart and blood vessel disease. To see if your weight puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, check out these Body Mass Index charts.
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What Else Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
If you are at risk for diabetes or prediabetes, ask your healthcare provider:
- What is my blood sugar level?
- What steps can I take to lower my blood sugar level?
- How often should I get my blood sugar checked?
- What else can I do to prevent Type 2 diabetes?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Prediabetes is a common condition. It means your blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be considered diabetes. You may not have any prediabetes symptoms. Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about getting regular blood tests, including an A1C test, especially if youre high risk.
The good news is that you can reverse prediabetes. Losing weight and exercising, along with other lifestyle changes, can bring your blood sugar levels back to a healthy range. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 03/25/2021.
References
Cholesterol And Triglyceride Tests
Have a cholesterol and triglyceride test at least once a year. Aim for total cholesterol less than 4.0 mmol/L and triglycerides less than 2.0 mmol/L.
There are a number of causes of high cholesterol, including your family history and your diet. Too much saturated fat in your diet can increase the LDL cholesterol in your blood and result in the build-up of plaque in your blood vessels.
Foods high in saturated fats include full-fat dairy products, fatty meats, pastries, biscuits, cakes, coconut cream or coconut milk, palm oil and fatty take-away foods.
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How Are The Kidneys Kept Working As Long As Possible
The kidney doctor, called a nephrologist, will plan your treatment with you, your family and your dietitian. Two things to keep in mind for keeping your kidneys healthy are controlling high blood pressure in conjunction with an ACE inhibitor and following your renal diabetic diet. Restricting protein in your diet also might be helpful. You and your dietitian can plan your diet together.
Diabetes And Healthy Weight
If you are overweight, even losing a small amount of weight, especially around the abdomen, helps to lower your blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
It can be difficult trying to lose weight, so to get started set yourself a short-term, achievable goal. Try thinking about the food you are eating, whether you really need it, if it’s a healthy choice, and consider the portion size. An accredited practicing dietitian can help you set a realistic meal plan and answer any food related questions you may have.
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