Piedmont Macon doctor explains prediabetes, A1C testing
Dr. Gerardo Blanco, a second-year internal medicine resident physician at Piedmont Macon, said prediabetes is the stage before diabetes and gives physicians an opportunity to intervene.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Prediabetes can provide patients with an opportunity to make changes before developing diabetes, according to a Piedmont Macon physician.
Dr. Gerardo Blanco, a second-year internal medicine resident physician at Piedmont Macon, said prediabetes is the stage before diabetes and gives physicians an opportunity to intervene.
“It’s the only moment that physicians have that patient to prevent diabetes,” Blanco said. “Unfortunately, once we diagnose diabetes, there’s no cure. There’s no turning back.”
Blanco said doctors can use an A1C test to help diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. He encouraged patients to know their A1C and discuss testing with their physician.
“We talk about diabetes when that A1C is more than 6.5, and we talk about prediabetes when it’s less than 6.4,” Blanco said.
Treatment for prediabetes can include lifestyle changes such as improving diet and exercise and decreasing alcohol consumption and smoking. Blanco said metformin is another treatment option that can be used for both prediabetes and diabetes, with the dosage varying.
Blanco said he tends to consider metformin as patients get closer to an A1C of 6.5, while focusing more on lifestyle changes for patients with lower levels.
“When we’re starting to get closer to that 6.5, I want to be very aggressive,” Blanco said.
Blanco also said guidelines now recommend screening patients earlier, with patients 35 years old receiving an A1C test.
He said addressing prediabetes early is important because it offers an opportunity to prevent diabetes and its potential complications.
“Diabetes we can treat, and we have many options currently for diabetes, but there’s no cure,” Blanco said.
Blanco said diabetes is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease in the United States and is also a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.
He encouraged people to speak with their doctors about their A1C and whether they should be screened for prediabetes.
