Half a million people 'unaware' they have diabetes
Monday, 25 Feb 2008 14:18
Computer searches could identify possible diabetes cases
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Computer searches could help to find up to half a million people living in the UK with undiagnosed diabetes, a new study suggests.
Researchers led by Dr Tim Holt from the University of Warwick surveyed over 3.6 million electronic patient records in 480 GP surgeries across the UK.
They looked for evidence of undiagnosed diabetes recorded in blood glucose measurements and eliminated patients known to have diabetes and those who had already had diabetes ruled out by their GP.
This left 3,758 patients whose last blood glucose level was indicative of undiagnosed diabetes and 32,785 patients whose last level was at best borderline, leaving them at significant risk of diabetes and requiring further assessment.
When trialling the computer search in his own practice, Dr Holt found six individuals at risk of diabetes, "most of whom were diagnosed with diabetes on further testing".
Dr Holt estimates that if the same search was applied to all UK GP surgeries then 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," he said.
"The study demonstrates the power of information technology to assist practice teams in the early detection of diabetes."
Peter Alexander, a business sales manager from Warwickshire and one of the six people identified as needing diabetes testing in Dr Holt's practice, said: "I wish that this system had been introduced nationwide much earlier.
"For everyone it is important to have their health checked regularly... and using this software a lot of people with undiagnosed diabetes may be identified immediately."
The researchers are calling for the software used in this research to be used by all GPs to help detect diabetes at an early stage. It has already been installed in some practices across the UK.
The study is published in the March issue of the British Journal of General Practice.