In many ways, glucose intolerance is a mild form of Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body not responding normally to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for lowering sugar levels in the blood. Patients with glucose intolerance have an impaired response to insulin but are not technically diabetic.
Definition
Glucose intolerance is also known as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes, Health Central says. Glucose intolerance describes patients who don't respond properly to insulin but don't have blood sugar levels that are high enough to be termed Type 2 diabetes. Consequently, patients with glucose intolerance have problems with the way their body responds to insulin and glucose but don't otherwise display any symptoms of diabetes.
Diagnosis
Because patients with glucose intolerance don't have any obvious symptoms of their condition, glucose intolerance is typically diagnosed as a result of blood tests that screen for diabetes. There are two distinct kinds of tests that can be performed to test for glucose intolerance, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders says. A fasting glucose test measures the amount of glucose in the blood when the patient hasn't eaten for eight hours. A glucose tolerance test can also be done to diagnose this condition; this test involves having the patient fast for eight hours and then consume a specific amount of glucose. Two hours later, the patient's blood glucose is measured.
Test Ranges
Blood glucose testing is typically measured in terms of milligrams of glucose per deciliter. Patients with glucose intolerance, the American Diabetes Association says, typically have fasting blood glucose levels between 100mg/dL and 125mg/dL. Normally, people have fasting blood glucose levels of 100 or lower, and anything above 125mg/dL is indicative of diabetes. Similarly, measurements between 140mg/dL and 199mg/dL of glucose after a blood glucose tolerance test are symptomatic of pre-diabetes.
Risk Factors
The two main risk factors for pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, is being older than 45 and being overweight. Patients who are physically inactive, have high blood pressure or elevated triglyceride levels are also at an increased risk of developing glucose intolerance. Other risk factors include having a family history of diabetes and being of African-American, Pacific Islander, Asian-American, Hispanic-American or Native American descent.
Treatment
The primary goal of treating glucose intolerance is to keep patients from developing Type 2 diabetes, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders says. For most patients, this involves losing weight and starting an exercise program. Physical activity lowers blood glucose levels by causing muscle cells to pull glucose out of the blood. Eating a diet that's low in sugars and foods with a high glycemic index can also help patients keep from developing diabetes.
