Research uncovers undiagnosed diabetes problem

A survey of the blood test records of millions of patients revealed thousands of cases of probable diabetes. Across the UK, this could add up to 60,000 extra patients living with the illness, researchers said.

The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, involved analysis of the electronic records of 3.63 million patients from 480 GP surgeries across the UK. The data was taken from the Qresearch database, which contains the anonymised electronic healthcare records of more than nine million people.

Dr Tim Holt, clinical lecturer at Health Sciences Research Institute at the University of Warwick, led the research team which included experts from the University of Nottingham and Imperial College London.

Dr Holt said: "If the same survey was extended to all UK GP surgeries we estimate that 60,000 people would be identified with evidence of undiagnosed diabetes. In addition, over half a million people nationally would require further tests to rule out diabetes."

The researchers eliminated patients already diagnosed with diabetes, and cases where raised blood glucose was found but diabetes had already been ruled out as a cause.

They said the vast majority of those identified with diabetes would have Type 2, which is linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity.

Early diagnosis

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Diabetes UK has been calling for many years for active programmes to identify people with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

"If rolled out nationally, this research could potentially identify over half a million people who are undiagnosed or at increased risk of developing the condition."

He added: "Diabetes is a serious condition which can lead to devastating complications such as blindness, amputations, heart and kidney disease. The earlier people are diagnosed, the earlier they can get on with managing the condition and reduce their risk of developing complications.

"Identifying people at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes is also a massive step forward. In many cases, leading a healthy lifestyle and managing weight can prevent or delay onset of the condition, so targeting these people is vital."

According to Diabetes UK, there are currently two million people diagnosed with Type 2 and another 300,000 with Type 1, which often develops in childhood. The charity has estimated that up to another 750,000 people are undiagnosed with Type 2.