According to new research, people with prediabetes may be significantly more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or other major cardiovascular (CV) event than those with normal blood sugar levels.

The findings, which were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session, underscore the seriousness of prediabetes and the need for more aggressive prevention and treatment. Although diabetes is known to be linked with an increased risk of CV events, the effects of prediabetes have been less clear. According to the CDC, it is estimated that 34 million Americans have diabetes and another 88 million have prediabetes.

Based on data from a single-center, retrospective study from >25,000 patients treated within the Beaumont Health System in Michigan, serious CV events occurred in 18% of patients with prediabetes compared with 11% of those without prediabetes over a median of 5 years follow-up. According to the investigators, the association between prediabetes and CV events remained significant even after considering other factors, such as age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep apnea, smoking, and peripheral artery disease.

Overall, having prediabetes nearly doubled the change of a major adverse CV events. However, even when patients with prediabetes brought their blood sugar back to normal, the risk remained high. CV events were reported in just over 10.5% of these patients compared with 6% of those with no diabetes or prediabetes, according to the study. As prediabetes usually has no symptoms, it is especially important to counsel on the importance of adults knowing their blood sugar numbers.

Click here to read the full article released by the American College of Cardiology.