USPSTF: Screen All At-Risk Adults for Diabetes

Any adult over the age of 45 and adults under 45 who are at high risk for diabetes should be screened for type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance according to a new, updated guideline from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Note: “High risk” is defined by the USPSTF as being over 45 years old, overweight or obese, or having a first-degree relative with diabetes.
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The grade B recommendation is a new addition to the USPSTF’s previous guidelines on diabetes screening, published in 2008, with a focus on identifying individuals with impaired fasting glucose and glucose tolerance.

Data from 6 lifestyle intervention studies as well as follow-up on 4 studies used on the 2008 review was collected in order to determine whether widespread screening of asymptomatic individuals for diabetes—and subsequent intervention—would improve overall health outcomes.

“The effects of lifestyle interventions to prevent or delay progression to diabetes were consistent across a substantive body of literature. Limited data from longer-term studies suggest that these interventions may also be associated with improved health outcomes,” they wrote. 

“The potential harms of measuring blood glucose and initiating lifestyle modifications that include healthy eating behaviors and increased physical activity are small to none, leading the USPSTF to conclude with moderate certainty that these interventions have a moderate net benefit.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for abnormal glucose and type 2 diabetes mellitus. October 6, 2014. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementDraft/screening-for-abnormal-glucose-and-type-2-diabetes-mellitus#Pod3. Accessed October 7, 2014.