Diabetes risk check

What it measures

The Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) adds up four things: age, waist size, physical activity and whether your parents have diabetes. Two of them you cannot change (age, family); two you can (waist, activity). The total runs from 0 to 100 and falls into three bands: low (under 30), moderate (30 to 50) and high (60 and above).

Where it comes from

IDRS was built by V. Mohan and colleagues at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study and published in 2005. In that study a score of 60 or more picked up about 7 in 10 people who had diabetes without knowing it. It was made for Indian adults, which is why we use it rather than a Western score.

What it is not

It is a check, not a screening or a diagnosis. A high score means "get tested"; a low score means "keep it that way". Only a blood test — HbA1c and fasting glucose, commonly — shows where you actually stand.

When to test

If your band is moderate or high, or sugar runs in your family, test now and again in 90 days after any change in food, movement or weight. HbA1c needs no fasting; fasting glucose and insulin do.

Check your family

Tap "Check for a loved one" to run it again for a parent. Nothing from the first check is kept.

Indian Diabetes Risk Score: Mohan V, Deepa R, Deepa M, Somannavar S, Datta M. A simplified Indian Diabetes Risk Score for screening for undiagnosed diabetic subjects. JAPI 2005;53:759–63 (Madras Diabetes Research Foundation). Used with credit. HealThyRam is not affiliated with MDRF. PubMed

Is a high score the same as having diabetes?

No. It means your risk factors add up and a lab test is worth doing now. Many people in the high band have normal sugar; the test tells you.

Can a low score be wrong?

Yes. The score does not see your blood. If sugar runs in your family, test anyway.

Why does my waist count so much?

Fat around the middle is closely tied to insulin resistance in Indian adults, which is why the score uses waist rather than weight.

Which test confirms it?

HbA1c (a three-month average, no fasting) and fasting glucose. A fuller read adds fasting insulin and lipids.

Who made this score?

V. Mohan and colleagues at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai (JAPI 2005). HealThyRam uses it with credit and is not connected to MDRF.