adult screening programme

Diabetes

Diabetes is a long-term (chronic) condition caused by too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is also known as diabetes mellitus.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body produces no insulin. It is often referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes. It is also sometimes known as juvenile diabetes, or early-onset diabetes, because it usually develops before the age of 40, often in the teenage years.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when not enough insulin is produced by the body for it to function properly, or when the body’s cells do not react to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 diabetes.

Read more about type 1 diabetes on the NHS website.

UK NSC screening recommendation Based on the last UK NSC review of this condition that occurred in November 2019.

Screening is not currently recommended for this condition.

The UK NSC does not currently recommend screening for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This is because:

there is no evidence that screening is more beneficial than not screening
there is no evidence that finding T2DM early by screening results in a greater health benefit than usual health care
more research is needed to review tests and benefits of screening for T2DM.

Supporting documents from the 2019 review

Evidence summary Diabetes (2019)
This document provides the evidence on which the current UK NSC recommendation is based.

UK NSC coversheet & consultation responses Diabetes (2019)
This document summarises the review process including the public consultation comments.

Review cycle

Date previous review completed: 2019

Next review estimated to be completed: 2022 to 2023.

To see previous evidence reviews, visit the UK NSC archive.

Organisations interested in Diabetes

These organisations have expressed interest in this recommendation and may submit responses to evidence reviews.

List of organisations

If you think your organisation should be added, please contact us.

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