The University of Canterbury has claimed that they are taking into consideration complications arising due to diabetes. The research being carried out by the university has been funded by the government with more than $1 million so that they can emerge with ways by which the doctors and GPs can detect the disease sooner.

One of the researchers, Juliet Gerrard, asserted that it is necessary to diagnose the condition early, else it is highly possible that 15% of the health budget of New Zealand will be diverted towards treating the consequences faced due to the disease.

Diabetes has emerged as a major health problem, which has been linked with several other health ailments, including cardiovascular disease, stroke and BP. Figures released by the World Health Organization warned that nearly 346 million people around the globe live with diabetes.

Currently, GPs, doctors have the option of only blood tests to diagnose a person with the disease and further, that they are able to manage their blood sugar level or not.

Ms. Gerrard said, “Our new testing method has the potential to identify those patients for whom this will be a particular problem in terms of diabetic complications. It will identify those at most risk”.