Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes Blood Sugar Levels 

Blood sugar levels guide doctors in diagnosing and treating pre-diabetes and diabetes. Both conditions are categorized by blood sugar levels. 

The presence of pre-diabetes, also referred to as impaired fasting glucose (IFG), means that you are at high risk for developing diabetes. A doctor will diagnose a patient with pre-diabetes if: 

• the fasting blood glucose is between 100-125 mg/dL;
• the A1c (a test that measures the blood glucose levels over the a two-to-three-month period) is between 5.7 and 6.4 percent; or
• the blood glucose level falls between 140 mg/dL and 199 mg/dL during a two-hour 75g oral glucose tolerance test. 

Diabetes is characterized by a glucose buildup in the blood. Those with diabetes either don't produce enough insulin, or their bodies cannot utilize the insulin it makes correctly, resulting in a high-blood sugar level, or hyperglycemia. Doctors will diagnose a patient with diabetes if: 

• the fasting blood glucose level is 126mg/dL or more (the doctor will confirm the results with two consecutive tests);
• any blood glucose level result, including a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test, is 200 mg/dL or more; or
• the A1c test result is 6.5 percent or more.