Followup on Diabetic Suspects

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Abstract
In the Washington, D. C, metropolitan area, 18,690 Federal employees were tested for diabetes. Of these, 1,922 showed positive results on the initial screening test, and 297 new or known cases were identified. During a 2-year interval following the initial screening, 843 of the positive screenees who had not been diagnosed diabetic received either an additional screening test or a glucose tolerance test. Within this group, 128 additional cases of diabetes were identified. Almost 1 in 4 of the persons with initial positive results was identified by a private physician as diabetic within the 2-year period. This yield was achieved even though the critical level for identification of positive cases was low and 10.3% of the participants'' screening results were positive. It is concluded that: an agency offering diabetes screening tests should continuously provide testing to persons who have exhibited elevated blood glucose levels even if their retest results were negative; the yield of new cases of diabetes among persons with positive screening results but who have not been diagnosed as diabetic is exceedingly high even when a retest is done within 2 years of the initial testing; efforts should be made to inform all diabetes suspects of the nature and symptoms of diabetes; and staffs of screening agencies cannot assume that a large proportion of those with positive screening results but no physician''s diagnosis of diabetes will voluntarily seek another test.

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