Diabetes Detection Needs Better Tools. They're on the Way

"Globally, diabetes has become one of the defining health crises of the modern era. According to the World Health Organization, 14 percent of adults were living with diabetes in 2022, up from 7 percent in 1990. In the US, more than 40 million people have diabetes, but around 11 million remain undiagnosed. More than 115 million Americans are estimated to have prediabetes, and roughly 80 percent do not know it."

"The danger is not just diabetes itself, but the damage that accumulates silently for years before diagnosis. Persistently elevated blood sugar increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and nerve damage. The earlier the disease is identified, the greater the chance of preventing those complications-or avoiding diabetes entirely."

"Researchers are increasingly concerned that existing diagnostic tools are also less effective in some populations. Recent studies suggest HbA1c can read falsely low in some Black and South Asian people, delaying diagnosis until the disease is more advanced."

Diabetes has become a major global health crisis, affecting 14 percent of adults worldwide in 2022, with millions remaining undiagnosed. In the US alone, approximately 11 million people with diabetes go undetected, and roughly 80 percent of the 115 million with prediabetes are unaware of their condition. Traditional diagnostic approaches relying on blood glucose measurements, particularly the HbA1c test, fail to identify disease progression early enough to prevent serious complications including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and blindness. Research reveals that existing diagnostic tools are less effective in certain populations, with HbA1c tests reading falsely low in some Black and South Asian individuals, resulting in delayed diagnoses and more advanced disease at detection.

Read at WIRED