Prediabetes in South Indian rural adolescent school students

Prediabetes is a condition with blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Most people with prediabetes are asymptomatic but are considered to be at a high risk of developing heart disease and stroke. 140 students of both sexes between ages 14-18 years were given a predesigned questionnaire to obtain information on socio-economic status and family history of Diabetes mellitus. A fasting plasma glucose level was measured and 6.8% of students were in the prediabetic range (> 100 mg/dl). No significant correlation was found between fasting plasma glucose and Body Mass Index or waist to hip ratio. 41.5% of the boys and 10.3% of the girls had a family history of DM but were in euglycemic range. It is beneficial to identify people with prediabetes so that appropriate lifestyle modification may be done to prevent or postpone onset of Diabetes mellitus.