Blood sugar higher than normal, but not diabetes

Clinically: Prediabetes · also impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, borderline diabetes

metabolic ICD-10 R73.03 MONDO MONDO:0006920 unverified

This describes what this condition typically looks like. It is not a diagnosis and cannot tell you whether you have it -- patterns overlap, results vary between labs, and the same numbers mean different things in different people. Diagnosis usually rests on Hemoglobin A1c, Glucose, interpreted alongside symptoms and history rather than read off a report.

unverified These explanations are written to be easy to read and have not yet been checked against a source. The ranges and measurement notes on this page show theirs.

definition unverified

Blood sugar is running above the normal range but has not reached the level that defines diabetes. It is a warning stage rather than a disease.

Glucose or HbA1c levels that do not meet the criteria for diabetes but fall in an intermediate range between normoglycaemia and diabetes, defined by any of: HbA1c 5.7-6.4% (39-47 mmol/mol); fasting plasma glucose 100-125 mg/dL (5.6-6.9 mmol/L) (impaired fasting glucose); or 2-h plasma glucose 140-199 mg/dL (7.8-11.0 mmol/L) during a 75-g OGTT (impaired glucose tolerance).

caveats unverified

This is the stage where change makes the most difference. It is often reversible, which is the main reason the category exists at all.

No clinical version written yet.

How common it is

Very common, and most people who have it are unaware. A meaningful proportion progresses to diabetes within a few years without changes.

The typical lab pattern

What the diagnosis rests on

The results a diagnosis is actually made on.

Hemoglobin A1c	high	ref ≤ 5.7	ADA criterion: an A1C of 5.7–6.4%, the band between normal and diabetes.
Glucose	high	ref ≤ 99	ADA criterion: fasting glucose 100–125 mg/dL, or 140–199 mg/dL two hours into a glucose tolerance test.

Consistent with it

Fits the picture, but not enough on its own.

Triglycerides	high	ref ≤ 150	High triglycerides often go with prediabetes, and a level above 250 mg/dL is one reason the ADA gives for testing adults with overweight.
HDL cholesterol	low	ref ≥ 40	Low HDL often goes with prediabetes, and an HDL below 35 mg/dL is one reason the ADA gives for testing adults with overweight.

How it usually feels

Feeling tired all the time · occasional

Frequencies say how often a symptom accompanies this condition — not the other way round. Most people with any of these symptoms do not have this.