Screening for diabetes by urine glucose testing at school in Japan

The problem of juvenile-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus is spreading worldwide. We describe the results of urinary glucose screening for school children conducted for over 20 yrs in Japan. The urinary screening for kidney diseases and diabetes has been also conducted in Taiwan since 1992 and results of their diabetes screening was recently reported (22). The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents is rapidly increasing in Japan, although the systems for diagnosis and treatment are not yet fully prepared. The increase of type 2 diabetes is observed not only in Japan and the United States but is also reported in rapidly developing countries in South-east Asia, such as the Republic of Korea, and China. It is, therefore, extremely important to create a strategy for prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes during childhood worldwide. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004.