A new estimate has suggested that around 250,000 middle-aged adults are unaware that they have type two diabetes. Researchers have said that all adults aged 40-70 should be screened for the condition, as early detection can help cut a person's risk of complications due to the disease.
The academics said that currently only high-risk adults are offered a blood test to check for type two diabetes during the NHS health check, adding that if every adult were offered the test, undiagnosed cases of the condition could be identified two years earlier.
The research team wrote in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes: “Screening can detect cases of undiagnosed diabetes earlier than symptomatic or incidental diagnosis, allowing for earlier intervention, which may reduce the risk of diabetes complications."
Dr Katie Young from the University of Exeter led the group in their research, with the aim of assessing whether people would get a diagnosis faster if the blood test was used routinely in the NHS check, or the mid-life MoT. They looked at information on people partaking in the UK Biobank study who had been given a HbA1c blood test when they signed up, finding that 7.3% of them had already been diagnosed with the condition. Of the 167,000 people who did not have a diagnosis of type two diabetes, around 1% had the disease undiagnosed.
“Our population-based study shows that HbA1c screening in adults aged 40–70 years can reduce the time to diabetes diagnosis by a median of 2.2 years compared with routine clinical care,” the authors wrote. “The findings support the use of HbA1c screening to reduce the time for which individuals are living with undiagnosed diabetes.”
The researchers said there are around a startling 25 million adults aged 40-70 years living in the UK today without a diagnosis of diabetes. Lucy Chambers, head of research communications at Diabetes UK, said: “This research provides clear evidence of delays in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and suggests that tests of average blood sugar levels at population level could help to pick up cases of type 2 diabetes sooner than they otherwise would be.
“Early diagnosis is the best way to avoid the devastating complications of type 2 diabetes, and offers the best chance of living a long and healthy life with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes go undetected for up to 10 years, which can lead to serious complications.
“While the symptoms of type 2 diabetes can sometimes be tricky to spot in the early stages, it’s important to know the signs to look out for, including being thirsty, unexplained weight loss, tiredness and passing urine more often. If you notice anything unusual, speak to your GP practice. “
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