A federal health advisory group has issued updated guidelines recommending that Americans who are overweight or obese begin screening for diabetes at age 35, replacing the current recommended age of 40.
In its guidelines, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Preventive Services Task Force said the updated recommendation was due to rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes, which the task force has identified as the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults in the United States, is found among about 13% of those 18 years of age or older, with about 35% meeting the criteria for prediabetes, according to to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The task force recommended lowering the screening age to 5 years and possibly lower for groups with disproportionately higher rates of diabetes, including Native Americans, Black Americans, Hispanics, and those with a family history of diabetes or related conditions.
Diabetes screening, which the task force currently recommends for adults up to age 70, usually consists of blood tests to measure sugar levels, with some people first drinking a sugary liquid.
The updated guidelines also said adults with normal blood sugar levels should continue to be screened for diabetes every 3 years, and according to the task force, diet and physical exercise can help prevent or delay diabetes in adults who meet the criteria for prediabetes. .
Metformin has also shown similar benefits, although the task force noted that it has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this specific use.
The Centers for Disease Control has previously stated that diabetes is the seventh cause of death in the United States, and its incidence can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease and other diseases.
The new guidelines follow updated data from the Centers for Disease Control released last June, which found that the death rate for people with diabetes rose 14% from 2019 to 2020, jumping from 21.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2019 to 24.6 per 100. A last year.
The increase in death came as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also reported a rise in deaths from heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, chronic liver disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
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