Risk Factors for Prediabetes

Your chance of having prediabetes or diabetes increases if you have one or more of the following risk factors:

• Over the age of 40
• Family history of diabetes
• Overweight (BMI greater than 23)
• High "bad" cholesterol level (LDL) and low in "good" cholesterol level (HDL)
• Ethnicity e.g. Indian
• Previously diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a baby larger than 4kg
• Smoker
• Heavy drinker

Diagnosis of Prediabetes and Diabetes

In order to determine whether you have prediabetes or diabetes, your doctor may perform the following tests:

• Fasting blood sugar test. Blood test that measures sugar level after an overnight fasting for at least 8-10 hours. This is usually done in the morning.
• Random blood sugar test. It is also known as a "casual blood test" where blood sugar is tested anytime of the day regardless of food consumption.
• Two hour post-meal sugar test. Blood sugar test that is taken exactly 2 hours after a main meal. It reveals how well the body can metabolize carbohydrates and produce insulin.
• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). This is used to confirm diagnosis in borderline cases and for diagnosis of prediabetes cases. The person is required to drink a known amount of sugar solution and blood sugar level is tested 2 hours before and after.