The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a new draft recommendation statement on screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The draft statement includes a new recommendation for screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in adults aged 35 to 70 years who are overweight or obese. The USPSTF also now recommends that clinicians offer or refer patients with prediabetes to effective preventive interventions.
If the recommendation is finalized, it will replace the 2015 USPSTF recommendation on screening for abnormal blood glucose and type 2 diabetes. In 2015, the USPSTF recommended screening for abnormal blood glucose as part of cardiovascular risk assessment in adults aged 40 to 70 years who are overweight or obese. The USPSTF also recommended that clinicians should offer or refer patients with abnormal blood glucose to intensive behavioral counseling interventions to promote a healthful diet and physical activity. Based on epidemiologic evidence, the USPSTF has decreased the age at which to begin screening to 35 years.
The new draft recommendation notes that the USPSTF found convincing evidence that preventive lifestyle interventions in patients identified as having prediabetes can reduce progression to type 2 diabetes, as well as reduce other cardiovascular disease risk factors such as blood pressure and lipid levels. This is a Grade B recommendation, which means that the USPSTF recommends the service, because there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial.
The USPSTF is accepting comments on the draft recommendation statement until April 12, 2021.
United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Draft Recommendation Statement: Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. March 16, 2021. Available at: click here. Accessed March 17, 2021.