Many Older Diabetics Undiagnosed
Excerpt By Ned Stafford, Reuters Health

About half of people aged 55 to 74 with diabetes were not aware they had the disease, according to a survey conducted in a region of southern Germany.

Of 1,353 people surveyed and tested in Augsburg, about 40% had some blood sugar abnormality and 17% tested positive for diabetes, Dr. Wolfgang Rathmann of the German Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Dusseldorf and colleagues found.

About half, or 8% of the total, had previously been diagnosed with diabetes, while the remainder did not know they had the disease.

Rathmann said at a press conference that the high level of undetected diabetes indicates a need for earlier screening and prevention.

The findings were published online this week in the journal Diabetologia.

Although blood sugar levels were not as high in people who were unaware of their disease compared with those with a previous diagnosis, such individuals are still at risk for cardiovascular problems, he explained.

People with diabetes are at risk for complications such as kidney disease, eye disease, heart disease and stroke.

Reference Source 89

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