New method to identify type 2 diabetes

NEW DELHI: Health experts have found a simple and cost effective screening tool to identify people at high risk of type 2 diabetes– diabetes mellitus. Researchers claimed that bigger the thighs the less were the chance of having diabates. The research has been published in recent edition of Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, this retrospective analysis done on 1055 patients from March 2013 to September 2016 has found the bigger the thighs, the less are the chance of having diabetes.

According to Dr SP Byotra, “Diabetes is a major challenge being faced by clinicians worldwide. An estimated 415 million people suffered from diabetes worldwide in 2015. Of great concern is the fact that almost half of these are undiagnosed. Mere diagnosis and treatment of diabetes will prove to be futile and uneconomical, unless we identify those at risk at an early stage. For this, we require simple and inexpensive screening tools that can be used easily, wherever and whenever required by clinician.”

“We Asian Indians have larger tummy and thinner thighs and excess abdominal fat, making us more prone to Diabetes,” said Dr Atul Kakar, author and senior consultant.

“The study found that Diabetics had significantly greater Waist Circumference (WC) than non-diabetics. Also, diabetics had lesser Thigh Circumference (TC) than non-diabetics. We found that Waist Thigh Ratio (WTR) of 2.3 i.e Wc(cms) ÷ TC (cms) as a cut off point as predictor of Diabetes. Simply put, a person having Waist Thigh Ratio (WTR) less than 2.3 will be at low risk of Diabetes and may not require further investigations,” Dr Atul Gogia said.

“The aim of this study was to provide an easy and inexpensive tool that can cut down the costs of investigations and reduce economic burden. Our study derived WTR cut-off point of 2.3 which may prove to be of utmost use as a simple and inexpensive diagnostic and screening tool, especially in developing countries such as ours,” said Dr Shivanjali Kumar.