What are the symptoms of prediabetes?

Insulin resistance and prediabetes usually have no symptoms. You may have one or both conditions for several years without noticing anything.

If you have prediabetes, you have more sugar (glucose) in your blood than normal—but not so much that you can be diagnosed with diabetes. As a result, most people with prediabetes have no symptoms and don’t feel sick. The condition is discovered through testing that measures blood glucose levels. If prediabetes progresses to diabetes, a person may have symptoms of high blood glucose such as unusual thirst and hunger, frequent urination, weakness and blurry vision.

Prediabetes rarely has symptoms. Your blood glucose (blood sugar) level is higher than normal, but you don't feel any different than you ever did. Even many people with type 2 diabetes don't have any symptoms. The best way to determine if you have prediabetes is for your doctor to give you a simple blood test in the office. Your doctor can determine if you have risk factors, such as being overweight and over age 45, that make it a good idea to have the test. It's important to know if you have prediabetes because the condition greatly increases the chances that you will develop type 2 diabetes.