Pre-diabetes can be seen as the early stage of diabetes. Pre-diabetes is the stage where your blood sugar levels are higher than the normal range but have not reached the diabetic range. It is not a disease on its own, but rather viewed as an increased risk for diabetes.
Both pre-diabetes and diabetes are both chronic conditions that are incurable. Management of both is targeted at controlling blood sugar levels, to lower the risk of developing complications. The only difference is that management of pre-diabetes involves lifestyle changes and when it progresses to diabetes, drugs and insulin injections are required.
Once diagnosed with diabetes, you would most likely have to be on medication for the rest of your life. It is not diabetes that is life-threatening but rather the complications that come with uncontrolled blood sugar levels. These complications include kidney problems, eye problems, damage to peripheral nerves and diabetes-related foot problems.
