“Diabetes often goes undetected until the first symptoms or even serious complications arise,” explains Dr. Martin Walger, Executive Director of the VDGH. “It is crucial that we consistently make use of diagnostic options and evaluate new methods for their effectiveness in early detection.”
Type 1 Diabetes: Early Detection Makes a Difference
The Fr1da study by Helmholtz Munich demonstrates this potential. By May 2026, more than 240,000 children had been screened for islet autoantibodies. An early stage of Type 1 diabetes was detected in over 730 children.
Among the children identified early in the Fr1da study, only 2.5 percent developed diabetic ketoacidosis at the onset of the disease. In Germany, this severe metabolic disturbance occurs in more than 20 percent of children who have not undergone early detection. This comparison underscores the potential of early diagnosis.
Type 2 Diabetes: Utilizing Best Practices
According to the latest German Health Report on Diabetes 2027, approximately 9.5 million people in Germany live with type 2 diabetes. Because the disease often develops gradually, early detection remains a challenge. Tests of fasting blood glucose or the long-term blood glucose level HbA1c make it possible to detect changes in glucose metabolism at an early stage.
Integrating Diagnostic Options into Early Detection
The VDGH advocates for giving greater consideration to the capabilities of modern laboratory diagnostics in the further development of early diabetes detection. For type 1 diabetes, it is important to examine, based on the Fr1da results, whether and under what conditions quality-assured screening can be incorporated into standard care. For type 2 diabetes, the ongoing review of the health check-up by the Joint Federal Committee (GBA) provides an opportunity to give appropriate consideration to proven laboratory diagnostic procedures and to align early detection more closely with individual disease risk.
