One-Third of Cases of Diabetes in the U.S. are Undiagnosed

Advanced screening for diabetes has helped detect cases early on, but new research suggests that over a third of cases in adults still go undiagnosed. A team of researchers led by Andy Menke at Social and Scientific Systems in Maryland studied National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1988-2010 and 2011-2012. About one in nine adults has been diagnosed with diabetes, which, according to the World Health Organization, will be the seventh-leading cause of death by 2030. Untreated diabetes can lead to a myriad of health problems, including nerve damage, amputations, strokes and heart disease. Blood tests help detect diabetes by tracking average blood sugar levels and calculating the percentage of hemoglobin that is coated with sugar. Despite the availability of these tests, researchers state that more than half of cases in Hispanic and Asian individuals go undetected. Could better education be the key to early detection of diabetes and pre-diabetes? Risk factors include obesity and family history of the disease. Although research indicated that fewer individuals are undiagnosed now than in the past, individuals who are considered high-risk should be screened earlier and more often.