Should We Screen for Type 2 Diabetes?
Authors: Matthew P. Petersen, Robert E. Ratner
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters4 April 2017Should We Screen for Type 2 Diabetes?Matthew P. Petersen and Robert E. Ratner, MDMatthew P. PetersenFrom American Diabetes Association, Arlington, Virginia.Search for more papers by this author and Robert E. Ratner, MDFrom American Diabetes Association, Arlington, Virginia.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest, concern, and ultimately outrage the argument made by Rind in Smetana and colleagues' grand rounds discussion ( 1) that not only is screening for diabetes a waste of time and resources but that “diabetes” (his use of quotation marks) is not itself a disease state. His contention that diabetes is not a disease worth screening for and treating is an astonishing position to take in the 21st century. As recently as the 1980s, some clinicians believed that high glucose levels only needed to be treated sufficiently to maintain day-to-day wellness and that the ...References1. Smetana GW, Abrahamson MJ, Rind DM. Should we screen for type 2 diabetes? Grand rounds discussion from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165:509-16. doi:10.7326/M16-1091 LinkGoogle Scholar2. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1993;329:977-86. [PMID: 8366922] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group. Lancet. 1998;352:837-53. [PMID: 9742976] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Mannucci E, Dicembrini I, Lauria A, Pozzilli P. Is glucose control important for prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes? Diabetes Care. 2013;36 Suppl 2:S259-63. [PMID: 23882055] doi:10.2337/dcS13-2018 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Bartnik M, Rydén L, Ferrari R, Malmberg K, Pyörälä K, Simoons M, et al; Euro Heart Survey Investigators. The prevalence of abnormal glucose regulation in patients with coronary artery disease across Europe. The Euro Heart Survey on diabetes and the heart. Eur Heart J. 2004;25:1880-90. [PMID: 15522466] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From American Diabetes Association, Arlington, Virginia.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0027. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoShould We Screen for Type 2 Diabetes? Gerald W. Smetana , Martin J. Abrahamson , and David M. Rind Should We Screen for Type 2 Diabetes? David M. Rind Metrics 4 April 2017Volume 166, Issue 7Page: 535KeywordsDisclosureGlucoseHyperglycemiaInsulinMedicareMyocardial infarctionProspective studiesRetinopathyType 2 diabetesVascular diseases ePublished: 4 April 2017 Issue Published: 4 April 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...