Type 2 diabetes screening plan ‘inaccurate’

A new study has concluded that the NHS programme for screening those at high risk of type 2 diabetes is unlikely to have any significant impact.

An Oxford University study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) claims that inaccurate blood tests would lead to too many people receiving an incorrect diagnosis.

The programme, which aims to cover all of England by 2020, started last year and is based upon ‘robust evidence’. It intends to identify thousands of people at high risk of developing the condition each year, using a ‘screen and treat’ approach.

However, the University of Oxford researchers analysed 49 studies of screening tests and 50 intervention trials and argued that, while the policy would benefit some, it was unlikely to help all those at high risk.

The study reports that two blood tests - HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose - were inaccurate at detecting pre-diabetes, although they are the only ones available to doctors and patients.

Examining the screening alongside the lifestyle interventions suggested, the report concludes that ‘the screen and treat policies alone are unlikely to have substantial impact on the worsening epidemic of Type 2 diabetes’.

Type 2 diabetes, which affects 3.2 million people in the UK, is believed to contribute to 22,000 early deaths every year in England, costing the NHS an estimated £8 billion. The number of people suffering with type 2 diabetes is widely expected to rise to five million by 2025.