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Pre Diabetes v Diabetes

H

herb2015

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Can somebody please explain to me why some people are diagnosed with Pre Diabetes while others go straight being Diabetic?
 
It mostly seem to be dependent on the HbA1c level at diagnosis. If its between 42 and 47 then you are "pre diabetic" if 48 or over then "diabetic" its just terms and numbers really.. Probably I guess timing must make a huge difference and if you notice symptoms early then you are more likely pre. I am just quite ****** off that in 2014 when I was "pre" the docs just said "you need to loose a bit of weight" but wasn't given any info on Type 2 or the ill effects it can have on your body. Had this been explained to me I might have acted sooner. Instead I was told over the phone in a very offhand way. And this was at the practise of the ex-head of the BMA.
 
It think it's because it's easy to overlook as with pre-diabetes there probably aren't any symptoms (but I could be wrong on this!). Mine was caught because I have to go the doctor relatively often for another complaint which is considered a risk factor for diabetes and every year or so I have a general blood panel done. Otherwise I'd have been none the wiser and no doubt gone straight to full-blown diabetes.
 
My GP knew I had a fatty liver several years before I was diagnosed T2. If only I had been told about this I could have acted on it sooner.
 
Same here. I have suffered for at least 50 years with cysts which is a sign of diabetes and have had so many tests over the years all came back negative, was then told a couple of years back that I was pre-diabetic but given no information of any sort. I just thought it was something I had all those years of tests for..
 
I live in France so I can only speak from the French perspective, but I've noticed that the doctors here are pretty thorough in ordering blood tests if there's the slightest doubt of anything. You get a prescription and then take it to an independent lab. You get a copy of the results.

Anyway, it helps for the docs to be on the watch for risk factors and order tests if they're in doubt. Some are on the ball and pro-active, others aren't. The public also needs to be better informed of their risks, especially in the food and alcohol sodden environment in which we live. I was a teenager in the 90s and an avid reader of magazines and the message at the time was that carbs have fewer calories than fat, so carbs are the better choice... My previous GP here in France also thought the same, and he's fresh out of medical school!
 
herb2015 said:
Can somebody please explain to me why some people are diagnosed with Pre Diabetes while others go straight being Diabetic?
Click to expand...

Because many people don't have routine blood tests very often. If these people have no symptoms, or don't go to the doctor if they do have symptoms, they will already have crossed the thresholds from non-diabetic, through pre-diabetes, and in to the diabetic range. This can happen quickly. It did with me. 2013 I was non-diabetic. 12 months later I was diabetic. I passed through the pre-diabetic stage without knowing or noticing.
 
'though, from one school of thought pre- diabetic is a bit like a little bit pregnant!
You are starting to exhibit the signs of the syndrome!
 
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