100,000 people take Leicester Diabetes Risk Score

An online diabetes risk assessment tool produced by a University of Leicester team headed by Professors Melanie Davies and Kamlesh Khunti from our Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and developed by Dr Laura Grey has been taken by more than 100,000 people since its launch last year.

The Leicester Diabetes Self Assessment Score is hosted on the Diabetes UK website who funded its development along with the CLAHRC for LNR programme.

The tool asks seven simple questions, including someone’s gender, age, height and weight. The answers to these are used to calculate the individual's risk of diabetes and, if it is high, recommend they visit their doctor.

Professor Davies said, “I am delighted that so many people have taken the opportunity to check their risk of having diabetes using the online tool. Diabetes is a condition that impacts on more than two million people in England and is particularly found in South Asian communities. People may have the condition for years without having any symptoms so the earlier they start receiving advice and treatment the better.”

Professor Khunti added that the risk score is the first to be developed for a multi-ethnic population in the UK and South Asian versions of the risk assessment score have been developed and are being pilot tested currently.

The risk score is currently being used in a number of research studies looking at ways of improving the early detection of diabetes.