Diabetes screening in primary care: the PRE.DI.CO. study

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rapidly and constantly increasing worldwide. The PRE.DI.CO project (Prevention of Diabetes in the Val di Cornia area) is a prevalence survey that aims to identify individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes or unknown diabetes.

A total 658 subjects, aged 35-70 years, were administered the FINDRISC (Finnish Diabetes Risk Score) questionnaire to identify persons at risk of diabetes. Using anamnestic data (age, sex, total cholesterol, blood pressure and cigarette smoking), we calculated the European Heart Score to estimate the individual cardiovascular risk, and we also collected information on fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and the main current therapies. Persons at high risk took an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

In total, 45.3% of the subjects were at low risk, 33.1% at moderate risk, 17.0% at high risk and 4.9% at very high risk. The OGTT was performed for 124 patients, and 42.7% of the cases showed normal glucose tolerance. Impaired Glucose Fasting (IFG) was identified in 30.6% of subjects, impaired glucose tolerance with or without IFG in 12.1%, and newly diagnosed diabetes in 14.5% of the cases. With the rise in the FINDRISC score, we also observed an increased risk of mortality at 10 years for cardiovascular disease, estimated by the Heart Score.

The intervention methodology and applicability of the FINDRISC questionnaire are valid for identifying persons at risk of diabetes in primary care.