How to spot killer diabetes YEARS before diagnosis – as scientists pinpoint 5 distinct early signs

SCIENTISTS have pinpointed a pattern of early diabetes signs that can be spotted years before people are diagnosed.

People who go on to develop type 2 diabetes are also more likely to suffer other related illnesses before, British researchers found.

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More than a third had high blood pressure or respiratory tract infections before doctors diagnosed them with diabetes.

Around a fifth had a heart condition or an ear, nose, or throat infection immediately before being diagnosed, the team found.

Dr Adrian Heald, of Manchester University, said: “These novel insights suggest an early phase of inflammation-related disease activity long before any clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is made.

“These findings hint at the potential for type 2 diabetes to be diagnosed earlier.

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“We hope that the distinct clinical trajectory could become a predictive tool for people at risk of the disease.”

More than five million Brits are thought to be living with diabetes, with cases doubling in the last 15 years.

The NHS spends at least £10billion annually on the disease — around 10 per cent of its entire budget.

It causes blood sugar levels to become too high because of problems with how the body produces the hormone insulin, which breaks down glucose.

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The study, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, looked at data from 1,196 adults in England for up to 50 years.

Some 1,196 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over the course of the study, with the average age the disease was spotted being 53.

In the years leading up to diagnosis, researchers spotted some common conditions that were suffered by the diabetes patients.

They were: high blood pressure, respiratory tract infections, heart conditions, asthma, and eye, nose, and throat infections.

Those who did not get diabetes were much less likely to suffer any of these conditions, researchers said.

Spotting the warning signs early could help people avoid developing diabetes at all, they added.

Dr Adrian Heald, of Salford Royal Hospital, said: “In the future, people could have the time to make lifestyle changes to prevent this life changing disease from arising.

“This study demonstrates that subacute inflammation, which manifests as the onset of hypertension, asthma or an acute infection, may serve as a precursor to the later onset of type 2 diabetes.”

“These observations offer a fascinating and fresh perspective on the beginning and normal development from pre-type 2 diabetes to type 2 diabetes diagnosis and beyond.

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“They imply a possible early stage of disease activity that is linked to, but not yet clinically diagnosed as, diabetes. 

“The matter of metabolic control and how this relates to a broad range of treatment factors — pharmacological and non-pharmacological — will be addressed in a future work.”