As the name suggests, prediabetes is a stage present before a patient progresses to diabetes. In fact, the vast majority of cases of type 2 diabetes (the most common form of diabetes) are preceded by prediabetes. And in women, prediabetes can increase the risk of gestational diabetes, which is a condition of diabetes during pregnancy.

What is Prediabetes?

In the prediabetic stage, a patient's blood sugar level after a meal is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. High glucose levels (hyperglycemia) is a serious condition that can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, eyes and other organs.

Though a prediabetic's blood glucose is not officially at a diabetic level, more and more evidence has shown that medical complications linked to diabetes might have already started in the prediabetes stage. This means that if the prediabetic stage is detected and managed early, the onset of full-blown diabetes can be delayed or even prevented.