UK researchers have developed a clinical algorithm that can help estimate the 10-year risk of type 2 diabetes. The algorithm does not need laboratory tests and can be used in clinical settings and also by the public through a simple web calculator.
The new diabetes risk algorithm (the QDScore) was developed and validated by collecting data from 355 general practices in England and Wales to develop the score and from 176 separate practices to validate the score.
The researchers used medical record data from 2 540 753 patients aged 25-79 to identify predictors of type 2 diabetes. The risk factors were incorporated into a clinical algorithm that was then validated.
The final algorithm included age, BMI, family history of diabetes, smoking status, treated hypertension, corticosteroid use, presence of cardiovascular disease, socioeconomic status, and self-reported ethnicity.
The type 2 diabetes risk calculator is freely available online: Calculator
References:
1. Julia Hippisley-Cox, et al. Predicting risk of type 2 diabetes in England and Wales: prospective derivation and validation of QDScore. BMJ 2009;338:b880.
