Diseases & Conditions
Should you worry about prediabetes?
You may be at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.
An estimated 34 million Americans — just over one in 10 — have type 2 diabetes. However, approximately 88 million — more than one in three — have prediabetes, a condition in which the average amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood is high, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. More than 84% of people with prediabetes don't know they have it.
Older adults tend to ignore the seriousness of prediabetes because, on average, they are less likely to get full-blown diabetes compared with younger people. Still, prediabetes can greatly raise their risk for heart attack and stroke.
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