Screening for diabetes in general practice: cross sectional population study

Sir,

The issue of the practicalities of screening for diabetes are with us
again. May I resurrect an idea I put years ago to both the DoH and the BDA
(ignored by both).

I suggest that with every Sunday newspaper is enclosed a urine
testing strip for glucose. These, such as have been made available in the
past for GPs, can be single-packaged, and could include simple
instructions. I suspect that one or many of our news conglomerates would
be happy to be associated with such a philanthropic venture, and the costs
could be minimal.

We might achieve national awareness of and access to a household-wide
pool of fresh "stix", the elderly could be tested regularly and the young
- notoriously reluctant to attend their GP - could reassure themselves on
any day they wondered about their diagnosis.

As they say - this isn't rocket-science. Whatever the epidemiological
niceties of screening, glycosuria requires investigation under any
circumstances, and identifying it this way would cost nothing.