The Efficacy of Medical Check-up Programs in Screening Healthy, Asymptomatic Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: Healthy asymptomatic individuals can be screened for various diseases using medical check-up programs. On the other hand, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and prediabetes (PD), which are common metabolic disorders, are increasing worldwide. In this context, this study aims to determine the prevalence of DM and PD among the asymptomatic participants of a medical check-up program. Material and Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of 440 healthy, asymptomatic volunteers aged 40 years or older who attended a medical check-up program conducted between January and August 2021. Patients with confirmed morbidities or regular medication use and pregnant women were excluded from the study. All study participants underwent physical examination, laboratory test, and sonographic assessment. The study participants were grouped according to their glycemic states, i.e., DM, PD, and normoglycemia (NG). The study's primary outcomes were the prevalence of DM and PD. Results: The prevalence of DM and PD among the study participants was 12.5% (n=55) and 58.9% (n=259), respectively. The number of males was significantly higher in Group DM than in Groups PD and NG (p=0.014). Additionally, Group DM was significantly older than Groups PD and NG (p<0.001). Furthermore, there were significantly more participants in Group DM with high urea, creatinine, uric acid, triglyceride, and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels (p>0.05 for all cases). Conclusion: The prevalence of DM and PD in presumed healthy asymptomatic participants was 12.5% and 58.9%, respectively, indicating unusually high prevalence in this population. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that it is imperative that presumed healthy individuals are screened within the scope of medical check-up programs and followed closely afterward.

Keywords:

Diagnostic screening programs, healthy subjects, diabetes mellitus, prediabetes prevalence,

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