Detecting people at high risk of type 2 diabetes- How do we find them and who should be treated?

Publication date: Available online 11 June 2016 Source:Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Author(s): Alice PS. Kong, Andrea OY. Luk, Juliana CN. Chan Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by its silent and progressive nature. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) increases with age, but there is a worrying trend to an increasingly young age of diagnosis. Compared to their counterparts with late onset of disease, these younger subjects face long disease duration with increased risk of diabetes-related complications. Besides, there is marked phenotypic heterogeneity which can interact with different interventions to give rise to variable clinical outcomes. Thus, early detection and diagnosis of T2DM with risk stratification for personalized care remains the cornerstone for the prevention and control of this global health hazard. Recognized at-risk groups include those with a genetic background (family history and ethnic groups) and phenotypes of insulin resistance (obesity, metabolic syndrome, women with gestational diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome, and men with androgen deficiency), specifically those already have “pre-diabetes” (impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose). There are also considerable interactions amongst these risk factors which amplify the risk for diabetes, thus calling for the use of risk scores to better identify high risk subjects. Raising awareness and health literacy, ...
Source: Best Practice and Research Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research