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What is Prediabetes? |
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Prediabetes can be seen as a transition period where person has elevated blood glucose (let us call it blood sugar) but not high enough to be called diabetes. Fasting blood sugar of 125 mg/dl, or HbA1C reading between 5.5 to 6.4, or random blood sugar between 140 and 200 mg/dl is normally diagnosed as prediabetes. |
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How is it different from diabetes? |
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In prediabetes insulin resistance is developing, and though blood sugar is elevated is still under tight control through overworking pancreatic beta cells. In most cases there are no complications seen and there is still a possibility to reverse to normal state. |
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How prediabetes turns to diabetes? |
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The prediabetes state lasts from 5 to 10 years and just before diabetes (a year or two) there is a fast decline in control over sugar and classical symptoms of diabetes viz. excessive urination, thirst, hunger, etc. |
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Is prediabetes a serious medical condition? |
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Yes, and it requires serious medical intervention and lifestyle modifications. Moreover, prediabetes increases your risk of type II diabetes, heart disease and stroke. |
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What are the medications approved for the treatment of prediabetes? |
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Currently, there are no medicines approved in allopathy for the treatment of prediabetes; however there are efforts to repurpose rifampicin. According to Ayurveda prediabetes is called Prameha and is reversible through diet, exercise and certain herbals. |
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What are the chances of reversing to normal state from prediabetes?? |
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Through intensive management risk of turning prediabetes to diabetes can be reduced by as much as 60 % (below age of 60) or 70% (if above 60). |