About the symptoms and treatment of prediabetes speaks Prof. Dr. Martin Clody from Wiener Privatklinik

1. What condition is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal. This disease can affect the heart as well as the kidneys and other organs in the human body. Early detection of prediabetes is necessary to prescribe the appropriate medication treatment or to make changes in the patient's diet and physical activity. Blood glucose value above 125 mg/dl in fasting state is a major sign of diabetes. In blood testing by HbA1c , if the value is 6.5% or more, then this may also be an indication of diabetes. Oral glucose tolerance test is another way to detect the disease. If the glucose value comes out above 200 mg/dl, it is again a sign of diabetes.

2. What are the glucose values in a prediabetic state?

When HbA1c values are between 5.7% and 6.4%, this is defined as prediabetes. Normal blood glucose values in fasting state are less than 100 mg/dl and when these values rise above 100 to 124 mg/dl it indicates that the patient is suffering from prediabetes.

3. What are the main symptoms of this disease?

When a patient is affected by a prediabetic state, he does not experience the underlying symptoms that can be caused by high blood glucose levels. But this disease can cause damage to various organs in a person's body. Kidney problems, heart failure, damage to the nervous system and eyes, and also the danger of myocardial infarction are possible. Patients in the stage of prediabetes are accompanied by various damages to the organ systems in the human body due to its long duration.

4. Can a prediabetic state be avoided?

With treatment of prediabetes, the condition may return to normal. This disease is hereditary in nature and is passed from parents to children. In the case of a parent with type 2 diabetes mellitus, there is a probability of about 40% for the children to inherit the gene for this disease, and about 70-80% for two affected parents. In order to avoid a prediabetic state, it is advisable for the patient to lead an active lifestyle and take care of their body health. In the treatment of prediabetes, drug treatment may also be prescribed.

5. What regimen is advisable to follow when a patient suffers from prediabetes?

In the treatment of prediabetes, dieting is necessary to achieve effective results. Of course, in losing weight the most important thing is the combination of diet combined with exercise to improve the strength and endurance of the body. There are many different types of diets, but according to research, the Mediterranean diet is the most suitable for this disease. Usually, for patients with weight problems, it is recommended that daily calorie intake should be approximately 300 - 500 kcal less than a standard diet. This would result in the loss of 1 to 2 kg of body fat per month. 

6. Is medication treatment necessary?
   

There are cases when treatment through the use of medication is advisable for the patient. Undergoing a diet with the aim of taking a smaller number of calories than usual is quite sufficient as a treatment in some patients. The diet should also be combined with various exercises necessary for the health of the body.