Validation of the Finnish Type 2 Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) with the OGTT in Health Care Practices in Europe.

Abstract Aims /hypothesis. To determine the best cut-off threshold value of the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) for the detection of diabetes and non-diabetic hyperglycaemia in people 35 years or older at primary health care settings in Europe. Methods Cross-sectional study in 11,444 adults from primary health care centres using community and opportunistic screening approaches. All participants completed the FINDRISC questionnaire and underwent a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The FINDRISC performance was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC) using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, Youdens index, positive and negative prediction values for different FINDRISC cut-offs were calculated. Results The optimal FINDRISC value for detecting both diabetes or glucose impairment in the community - screened sample was 14 point with the associated AUC 0.75,5 (95 %CI 0.73,7–0.77,3). The optimal score in the opportunistic screening sample was 16 with the associated AUC only 0.60,4 (95% CI 0.56, 4–0.64, 4). Conclusions/interpretation The FINDRISC is a non-invasive tool useful for detecting people with unknown diabetes and glucose impairment in people visiting primary health centres in Europe.