Detection programmes and screening activities with the objective to reveal risk groups with asymptomatic diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance are an important tool for reducing the morbidity and mortality of type 2 diabetics from cardiovascular diseases. The detection programme in the Czech Republic was focused on the risk group of the population above 45 years of age. During the screening in which 120 general practitioners and 20 diabetolgists participated a total of 30672 subjects were examined and the results were evaluated statistically in 26577 subjects (86.52%). Diabetes mellitus was detected in 2.43% of the examined subjects and impaired glucose tolerance in 1.28 % of the investigated group. The most frequently present risk factor in newly detected diabetics was hypertension and obesity. As compared with non-diabetics, whose ratio in the group above 60 years was 47.9%, 56.7% were newly detected diabetics in this age group.

Keywords: Aged; Czech Republic /epidemiology/; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 /diagnosis/; Female; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Risk Factors