ARE YOU AT RISK OF HAVING DIABETES OR PREDIABETES?

1.6 million adults in Maryland have prediabetes. About 500,000 people in Maryland have diabetes. Over 54,000 adults in Baltimore City are living with diabetes. Odds are you know at least one person with diabetes. It is even more likely that you know someone with prediabetes. The thing is, most people with prediabetes do not know they have it. Many people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years if they do not address their prediabetes.  Type 2 diabetes can be prevented if caught in the stage of prediabetes. By making healthy lifestyle changes, prediabetes can be reversed. 

What is Prediabetes? What is diabetes?

  • Prediabetes is a condition where people have high blood sugar (high blood glucose), but it is not high enough to be considered diabetes

  • Diabetes is a serious condition that makes blood sugar levels rise higher than normal. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), diabetes affects more than 38 million people. Prediabetes may be reversible, but diabetes has no cure. That is why it is so important to address this life-changing disease as early as possible. 

What increases your risk for diabetes? 

If you have these risk factors, you may be at higher risk than others for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

  • You are overweight
  • You are 45 years of age or older
  • Your parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes
  • You are physically active fewer than 3 times per week
  • You have given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
  • You have had diabetes while pregnant(gestational diabetes)

Race and ethnicity also affect your risk. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at very high risk for type 2 diabetes. If any of these risk factors apply to you, please take the time out to take the CDC-recognized prediabetes screening test. 

What can happen if prediabetes is not addressed? 

If prediabetes is not addressed early, individuals can develop type 2 diabetes. Plus, diabetes can increase their risk of developing serious health issues, such as:

  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Blindness
  • Kidney failure
  • Loss of toes, feet, or legs

To help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the National Diabetes Prevention Program. 

The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)  is a lifestyle change program that creates a space where individuals can learn, try new things, and build new habits. They are able to do all of this while lowering their risk of type 2 diabetes and improving their health. 

Additional resources on the National Diabetes Prevention Program, diabetes, and prediabetes:  

About Diabetes and Prediabetes
CDC recognized prediabetes screening