One third adults in Britain have prediabetes

Prevalence of prediabetes in England rose rapidly from 2003 to 2011, with one in three adults on the cusp of developing type-2 diabetes, latest figures published in the British Medical Journal have revealed.

Prediabetes is a high-risk state for developing diabetes and associated complications.

In their new report, the authors from the University of Florida used data collected by the Health Survey for England in the years 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Participants aged 16 and older, who provided a blood sample, Xinhua reported.

Individuals were classified as having prediabetes if glycated haemoglobin was between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent, and were not previously diagnosed with diabetes.

The result showed that the prevalence rate of prediabetes increased from 11.6 percent to 35.3 percent from 2003 to 2011. Overweight adults aged 40 and above had even higher risk, with 50.6 percent of them had prediabetes in 2011.

The authors said there has been a marked increase in the proportion of adults in England with prediabetes. In the absence of concerted and effective efforts to reduce risk, the number of people with diabetes is likely to increase steeply in coming years.