USPSTF Updates Diabetes Screening Recommendations
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has updated their 2008 recommendation for diabetes screening in asymptomatic adults. The new update recommends that clinicians screen obese or overweight adults between 40 and 70 years old for abnormal blood glucose as part of regular cardiovascular risk assessment.
“According to national data estimates from 2012, approximately 86 million Americans aged 20 years or older have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Approximately 15% to 30% of these persons will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years if they do not implement lifestyle changes to improve their health.”
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“Given the increasing prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in the U.S. population, the USPSTF sought to examine the benefits and harms of screening for IFG, IGT, and type 2 diabetes.”
For the update, the task force conducted a review of available evidence on screening for IFG and IGT in asymptomatic adults at average or high risk of diabetes and related complications, including overweight and obese adults between the ages of 40 and 70 years without symptoms of diabetes.
“The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that there is a moderate net benefit to measuring blood glucose to detect IFG, IGT, or diabetes and implementing intensive lifestyle interventions for persons found to have abnormal blood glucose,” they wrote.
-Michelle Canales Butcher
Reference:
Siu AL. Screening for abnormal blood glucose and type 2 diabetes mellitus: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. Ann Intern Med. 2015 October [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.7326/M15-2345.