March 2003 • Volume 9 • Number 3 |
You should screen adults for type 2 diabetes if they have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said Feb. 3. The panel suggested the screening should be part of an integrated approach to reducing cardiovascular disease.
"So often, diabetes does its damage by leading to other illnesses such as cardiovascular disease," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson in a press release on the new recommendation. It marks the first time the USPSTF has recommended screening for type 2 diabetes.
An estimated 16 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, including almost six million who have not been diagnosed, said the task force. People at increased risk for diabetes include those who are obese, those who have a relative in their immediate family with the disease, African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The task force found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening for gestational diabetes in asymptomatic pregnant women.
"Identifying and appropriately treating women with more severe gestational diabetes reduces the number of women who have large babies, but the impact on important outcomes such as Caesarean section, complicated deliveries, or injuries to babies or mothers remains uncertain," said USPSTF Chair Alfred Berg, M.D., professor and chair of the family medicine department at the University of Washington, Seattle.
The AAFP Commission on Clinical Policies and Research will review the task force recommendations and evidence reports to determine whether to establish a policy on screening for type 2 diabetes.
The task force recommendations and materials for clinicians are at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm, under "New Releases in Preventive Services." Click here for more USPSTF news.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2003 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.