— We urgently need more research on pharmacological interventions for this growing epidemic
Prediabetes is an abnormal state of glucose homeostasis in which blood glucose levels are elevated above the range of normal but are not high enough to be classified as diabetes. A staggering 28% of U.S. youth ages 12 to 19 years are living with prediabetes. This number more than doubled from 1999 to 2018. Prediabetes and obesity are strongly correlated in a high-risk genetic backdrop, making them almost two sides of the same coin. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rapid increase in both these problems in children.
There is increasing evidence to support that even before its progression to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes independently is a toxic metabolic state causing an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Read more in MedPage Today.