Reframing prediabetes: A call for better risk stratification and intervention

Abstract

Prediabetes is an intermediate state of glucose homeostasis whereby plasma glucose concentrations are above normal but below the threshold of diagnosis for diabetes. Over the last several decades, criteria for prediabetes have changed as the cut points for normal glucose concentration and diagnosis of diabetes have shifted. Global consensus does not exist for prediabetes criteria; as a result, the clinical course and risk for type 2 diabetes vary. At present, we can identify individuals with prediabetes based on three glycemic tests (hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose, and 2-h plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test). The majority of individuals diagnosed with prediabetes meet only one of these criteria. Meeting one, two, or all glycemic criteria changes risk for type 2 diabetes, but this information is not widely known and does not currently guide intervention strategies for individuals with prediabetes. This review summarizes current epidemiology, prognosis, and intervention strategies for individuals diagnosed with prediabetes and suggests a call for more precise risk stratification of individuals with prediabetes as elevated (one prediabetes criterion), high risk (two prediabetes criteria), and very high risk (three prediabetes criteria). In addition, the roles of oral glucose tolerance testing and continuous glucose monitoring in the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes need reassessment. Finally, we must reframe our goals for prediabetes and prioritize intensive interventions for those at high and very high risk for type 2 diabetes.