Abstract :
The Importance of Preventing Diabetes The diabetes epidemic statistics hide another pandemic that grows in parallel with it. Just as the world houses —million people with diabetes, it is also home to a further — million with impaired glucose (IGT), or pre diabetes.1 The current definitions for diabetes are based upon a statistical analysis of the glucose levels at which chronic microvascular complications, specifically retinopathy, begin increasing in incidence. Retinopathy was chosen because of the objectively associated diagnosis and grading. Other chronic complications are also traditionally thought to occur with glycaemic levels commensurable with the diagnosis of diabetes. Gradually, however, researchers have begun to uncover enhanced occurrence of both macrovascular and microvascular complications with IGT as well.2IGT, or prediabetes, is an important clinical entity, therefore, not only it is a risk factor for chronic complications, it also contributes to a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Pre diabetes may be symptomatic in its own right, presenting with complaints similar to those observed in people with diabetes. Hence, prediabetes must be managed. Management of prediabetes is a synonym for prevention of diabetes.
