HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Prediabetes: an unexplored cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Study Abstract

In this issue of the Journal of Hypertension, Liu et al.[1] have reported the results of a community-based prospective population study to describe the health consequences for persons with prediabetes. This is the interface of progression from normoglycemia to frank type 2 diabetes. Each year, 5–10% of those with prediabetes will progress to diabetes with a similar proportion converting back to normoglycemia. Prevalence of prediabetes is increasing worldwide and experts now project that more than 470 million people will be so classified by 2030 [2].

Prediabetes reflects failing pancreatic islet beta-cell compensation for an underlying state of insulin resistance, most commonly associated with excess body weight or obesity. Current criteria for the diagnosis of prediabetes include impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, or metabolic syndrome. Presence of any one of these factors is associated with a five-fold increase in future risk of diabetes.

In short, targeting prediabetes provides a fresh opportunity to interrupt the path to diabetes – where cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death. Lifestyle and pharmaceutical tools can restore prediabetes to normoglycemia, and thus presumably reduce the incidence of diabetes and CVD mortality. Today, the vast majority of those with prediabetes are unaware of the condition, and this is reflected by a lack of urgency by the healthcare community. Given the magnitude of the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, any possibility that a new approach might reduce both seems worthy of exploration. Public health and clinical medicine have a role to play. Meanwhile, correction of prediabetes remains an enormous unexplored opportunity to prevent diabetes and thereby reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Study Information

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