Following last week’s New Zealand research which showed diabetes goes undiagnosed in one in five Maori, comes a study from the US which suggests 40 per cent of diabetes sufferers over the age of 20 are undiagnosed.
The study compared the results of two US national surveys that included a fasting blood glucose (FBG) test and 2-hour glucose reading from an OGTT.
Findings included:
- The rate of diagnosed diabetes increased between the surveys, but the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes remained relatively stable.
- Minority groups continue to bear a disproportionate burden. The prevalence of diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, in non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican- Americans is about 70 to 80 percent higher than that of non-Hispanic whites.
- Diabetes prevalence was virtually the same in men and women, as was the proportion of undiagnosed cases.
- Pre-diabetes is more common in men than in women (36 percent compared to 23 percent).
- Diabetes is rare in youth ages 12 to 19 years, but about 16 percent have pre-diabetes.