[Selective screening for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A study among 35-69 year-old patients at risk in general practice in Kolding].

In order to identify previously undiagnosed cases of non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM) in general practice, we measured non-fasting blood-glucose in all risk patients (n = 1,790) between 35-69 years old belonging to 29 general practices in Kolding. Patients at risk for NIDDM were defined as those suffering from one or more of the following: overweight, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidaemia, stroke, gout, cataract, Dupuytren's contracture, peripheral atherosclerosis or recurrent urinary- or skin-infections. A positive result, defined as a non-fasting blood-glucose of > or = 8.0 mmol/l using the same stix-lot-nr. on Refloflux S machines, was found in 86 individuals. These were then followed up with two fasting blood-glucose measurements carried out in a central laboratory, whereby 34 patients with NIDDM were identified. The newly-diagnosed NIDDM patients mostly suffered from diseases related to the insulin resistance syndrome, and we thus recommend measurement of non-fasting blood-glucose as a screening procedure in such patients. When carrying out measurements in general practice, it is important to know the precision and accuracy of the apparatus used.