Can type 2 diabetes and its associated complications be prevented or delayed in people with intermediate hyperglycaemia?

Diabetes affects one in 11 adults in the WHO European Region. It is a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, kidney failure, vision loss and nerve damage. Intermediate hyperglycaemia is a state in which blood glucose levels are above the normal range but below the threshold for diabetes. It is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and mortality. This review assessed the effects of interventions for people with intermediate hyperglycaemia. Results from randomized controlled trials indicate that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with intermediate hyperglycaemia is reduced by lifestyle and (some) pharmacological interventions. Most of the available evidence did not find a difference in mortality or other serious health outcomes for either pharmacological or lifestyle interventions. However, the follow-up periods may have been too short for health outcomes to have emerged. The current evidence suggests that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is reduced through intervention at the point of intermediate hyperglycaemia, but that the effects of these interventions on long-term health outcomes are unclear.