Age will help to spot diabetes and prediabetes conditions in adults better, a new study done by researchers from Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University have found. The study has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine recently.
The US based study found that screening all adults aged 35 to 70 years, regardless of weight, identifies the greatest proportion of adults with prediabetes and diabetes. "This approach will also maximize the ability to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes across all racial and ethnic groups, Northwestern investigators found," an official statement from Feinberg School of Medicine has said.
"It might seem counterintuitive"
As per Matthew O' Brien, the lead investigator of the study, it might sound counterintuitive because we think of being overweight or obese as the primary cause of diabetes.
“But if we make decisions about diabetes testing based on weight, we will miss some people from racial and ethnic minority groups who are developing prediabetes and diabetes at lower weights,” O’Brien said.
The study highlighted that Asian Americans with diabetes and prediabetes are mostly missed or delayed diagnosis because they develop these conditions at a normal weight.
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An estimated 6 million Asian Americans have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, according to the new study.
Diabetes in India
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), in India there are estimated 77 million adults suffering from diabetes and nearly 25 million are prediabetics which means they are at a higher risk of developing diabetes in near future.
The UN health agency also sheds light on the poor diagnosis of diabetes in the country by sharing data that reveals that more than 50% of people are unaware of their diabetic status which leads to health complications if not detected and treated early.
It is important to spot diabetes early because it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
