Also at risk were Black seniors, those with a family history of diabetes, low-income seniors, and older adults at the upper end (6%-6.4%) of the A1C prediabetes range. Of note, study results show that obese older adults with prediabetes were at significantly heightened risk of developing diabetes. (This glucose test evaluates blood sugar after a person hasn’t eaten anything for at least eight hours.) Prediabetes is signified by A1C levels of 5.7% to 6.4% or a fasting plasma glucose test reading of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter, according to the diabetes association. Researchers used a measure of blood sugar levels over time, hemoglobin A1C. Just over 5% of these patients progressed to diabetes annually, it found. The newest study by researchers at the CDC, published in April in JAMA Network Open, examined data about more than 50,000 older patients with prediabetes between January 2010 and December 2018. Until their publication, most studies focused on prediabetes in middle-aged adults, leaving the significance of this condition in older adults uncertain. Two recent reports about prediabetes in the older population are stimulating heightened interest in this topic. “I’m terrified of being diabetic,” she said. Yet Selvin has felt alarmed since learning last year her blood sugar was slightly above normal. She takes a rigorous hourlong exercise class three times a week and eats a Mediterranean-style diet. Nancy Selvin, 79, of Berkeley, California, is among them.Īt 5 feet and 106 pounds, Selvin, a ceramic artist, is slim and in good physical shape. Still, many older adults aren’t sure what they should be doing if they’re told they have prediabetes. The CDC and the American Medical Association make a similar point in their ongoing “ Do I Have Diabetes?” campaign. Rodica Busui, president-elect of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association, which recommends adults 45 and older get screened for prediabetes at least once every three years. “Always a diagnosis of prediabetes should be taken seriously,” said Dr. Other experts believe it’s important to identify prediabetes, especially if this inspires older adults to get more physical activity, lose weight, and eat healthier diets to help bring blood sugar under control. “Yet labeling people with prediabetes may make them worried and anxious.” Robert Lash, chief medical officer of the Endocrine Society, commenting on recent research. “For most older patients, the chance of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes is not that high,” said Dr. Prediabetes - a term that refers to above-normal but not extremely high blood sugar levels - isn’t a disease, and it doesn’t imply that older adults who have it will inevitably develop Type 2 diabetes, they note. To contact Judith Graham with a question or comment, click here. Navigating Aging focuses on medical issues and advice associated with aging and end-of-life care, helping America’s 45 million seniors and their families navigate the health care system.
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