Risk Factors for Prediabetes
The risk factors for prediabetes are similar to those for
type 2 diabetes. Most people who get type 2 diabetes
had prediabetes first. Risk factors include:
- Being overweight.
- Lack of physical activity.
- Family history.
If you have a parent, brother, or sister who has type 2 diabetes, you have a
greater chance of getting the disease.
- Age. The risk for getting prediabetes and
type 2 diabetes increases with age. But the number of
children with type 2 diabetes is increasing. Usually, children who
get type 2 diabetes have a family history of the disease, are overweight, and
aren't physically active.
- Race and ethnicity. African Americans,
Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at
higher risk than whites for type 2 diabetes.
- History ofgestational diabetes. Women who
have had gestational diabetes or who have had a baby that weighed more than
9 lb (4 kg) at birth are at
higher risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
- Low birth weight. People who weighed less
than 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) at birth
are more likely to get type 2 diabetes later in
life.
Other health problems that put you at risk for
prediabetes and type 2 diabetes include:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a problem in
which a woman's hormones are out of balance.
- Metabolic syndrome. This is a group of health problems
that includes having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and too much fat around the waist.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | David C.W. Lau, MD, PhD, FRCPC - Endocrinology |
| Last Revised | June 20, 2012 |