Prediabetes: the wake-up call you don’t want to ignore

At the risk of stating the obvious, diseases that produce on patients visible symptoms are easily identified and therefore sooner addressed. For diabetic patients this is not always the case. Diabetes is considered the silent pandemic of the 21st century. Despite the multiple and effective therapeutic options available to treat diabetes, significant opportunities still exist to move from only metabolic control to improved cardiovascular outcomes.

And if diabetes is still a challenge, prediabetes is even a bigger one. Up to 577 million adults have prediabetes worldwide and that number is expected to increase to 884 million in 2045 according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). In the U.S., the second largest market on number of prediabetic patients. more than one in three adults has prediabetes[1]. But this is not just a problem of the western world. Among the top 5 countries with the highest number of prediabetes, four are from growing markets such as China, Indonesia, India and Brazil [2]. In China alone, up to 121 million people in 2017 had diabetes[3].

Most patients undiagnosed

Many of those with prediabetes will go on to develop the even higher levels of blood glucose (blood sugar) associated with full-blown type 2 diabetes. This is partly because by far most of them are not even aware of their condition[4] and unlikely to take the steps needed to stop the process.

World Diabetes Day is a good occasion to call to mind the crucial importance of early diagnosis, especially for those whose body weight or family history puts them at greater risk. Making patients aware of their prediabetes and taking appropriate measures is the key to tackling the mounting global epidemic of diabetes, projected to involve up to 884 million people by 2045[5].

Slowing the spread of diabetes in China

Backed by our longstanding track record in the area of diabetes, we are working and partnering in many countries to raise awareness of diagnosing and treating prediabetes. For example, in China, we signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Alibaba Health to provide Chinese patients and their families with better access to patient-centric healthcare services. We aim to combine our diabetes expertise with Alibaba Health’s drug tracking platform, to help ensure safety and security of drug use, while generating consistent value for patients through a series of add-on services. We’ve also teamed up with the China Health Promotion Foundation to reach out to high-risk groups in selected communities across China. Our three-year collaboration is endorsed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and has the support of the International Diabetes Federation.

The strategy is multi-pronged: in addition to research to identify barriers to patient access to health, we’re promoting medical education and public awareness related to diabetes as well as conducting free blood glucose screening. We’re confident that this approach offers much potential. We always remember that prediabetes doesn’t have to lead to diabetes. It’s often a matter of lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise, a healthier body weight and the avoidance of tobacco. Diabetes typically develops gradually. For many patients, it can be stopped in its tracks at an early stage.

You can already check if you might be in a high-risk group by taking the risk assessment test. If you have any reason to think you should take it, do not hesitate. And if the diagnosis is prediabetes, treat it like the wake-up call you received just in time - regardless of any existing symptoms.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetesprevention/index.html

[2], [3] https://diabetesatlas.org/resources/2017-atlas.html

[4] https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/borderline-diabetes-know-the-sign

[5] https://www.idf.org/component/attachments/attachments.html?id=811&task=download