Hi Linda, thank you for your question to the forum.  

For adults, the recommended fasting plasma glucose level is less than 5.5mmol/L. If your test was 5.5mmol/L and you have not previously been diagnosed with diabetes, you should go on to have an Oral Glucose Tolerance test (OGTT).

You are recommended to undergo an OGTT when the fasting blood glucose level result is between 5.5 and 6.9mmol/L or the random blood glucose level is between 5.5 and 11.0mmol/L.  The OGTT is the administration of glucose to determine how quickly it is cleared from the blood. The test is used to test for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. You should discuss this with your GP.

Type 2 diabetes happens when either the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work very well.  This type of diabetes is associated with lifestyle, weight and family history. People with type 2 diabetes need to watch what they eat, be active every day and sometimes take diabetes tablets or insulin injections.  If you do have type 2 diabetes it is important to be diagnosed promptly so you can make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of complications such as eye, kidney and circulation problems.

Pre-diabetes on the other hand is a condition where blood glucose levels are high but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. If your OGTT results suggest that you have pre-diabetes, it’s important to follow a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.