Screening for Diabetes

Diabetes affects a large number of people worldwide and more and more people continue to be affected by the disease. According to recent data, 8.3 percent Americans and almost 10% of Indian population suffer from diabetes. What is even more alarming is that about 27% of them do not know that they suffer from the disease! In fact, studies indicate that the disease may be present even up to seven years before the diagnosis and may be diagnosed only when complications set in.

Diabetes does not cause any symptoms in the initial stages and is detected based on blood tests alone in these stages. If untreated, it results in serious complications like gangrene, kidney failure and blindness. It is also associated with stoke and heart related problems. However, early treatment and control of the blood sugar level may help to avoid these complications.

Screening for diabetes - is usually done to detect cases of type 2 diabetes, which make up for 90-95% cases of diabetes. Screening is not recommended for type 1 diabetes in the general population since it would probably detect very few cases.

Screening for Pre-diabetes - Screening also helps to detect pre- diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar or hemoglobin A1c levels are above normal but have not reached the diabetic range. These patients could suffer from diabetes and heart disease in the future. Early detection helps them to control their diet and increase physical activity at the right time and thus prevent diabetes from setting in early.