There isn't enough evidence to support widespread screening of Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents in the U.S., a panel of national experts on disease prevention said Sept. 13.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force withheld a recommendation for screening children under 18 who don't have diabetes symptoms due to a lack of evidence, saying it cannot adequately assess the benefits and harms of such screenings.
About 22 to 52 percent of children under the age of 18 with prediabetes return to normal glycemia or glucose tolerance without intervention within two years, the task force said.
"Because some youth with prediabetes may revert to normal glycemia without intervention, potential harms of screening include labeling, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment," the group wrote in its recommendation statement published in JAMA.
View the full recommendation here.