Pre-diabetes: opportunity or overdiagnosis?

INTRODUCTION Pre-diabetes is a term used to describe the state where blood glucose levels are above normal but below the threshold for diagnosis of diabetes. An estimated 1 in 3 of the adult population of the UK fall into this group.1 The addition of a coded entry for pre-diabetes to aid adherence to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on follow-up of ‘at risk’ groups is embedding this label within increasing numbers of patients’ lifelong medical records. This article discusses the meaning and significance of this new ‘diagnosis’ at individual and societal level, the controversy that surrounds it, and implications for policy, practice, and research.