!Background: The prevalence and socioeconomic burden of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and associated co-morbidities are rising worldwide. Aims: This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for preventing T2DM. Methods: A European multidisciplinary consortium systematically reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of screening and interventions for T2DM prevention using SIGN criteria. Results: Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are the main modifiable risk factors. Age and ethnicity are non-modifiable risk factors. Case-finding should follow a step-wise procedure using risk questionnaires and oral glucose tolerance testing. Persons with impaired glucose tolerance and/or fasting glucose are at high-risk and should be prioritized for intensive intervention. Interventions supporting lifestyle changes delay the onset of T2DM in high-risk adults (numberneeded-to-treat: 6.4 over 1.8-4.6 years). These should be supported by inter-sectoral strategies that create health promoting environments. Sustained body weight reduction by ≥ 5% lowers risk. Currently metformin, acarbose and orlistat can be considered as second-line prevention options. The population approach should use organized measures to raise awareness and change lifestyle with specific approaches for adolescents, minorities and disadvantaged people. Interventions promoting lifestyle changes are more effective if they target both diet and physical activity, mobilize social support, involve the planned use of established behaviour change techniques, and provide frequent contacts. Cost-effectiveness analysis should take a societal perspective. Conclusions: Prevention using lifestyle modifications in highrisk individuals is cost-effective and should be embedded in evaluated models of care. Effective prevention plans are predicated upon sustained government initiatives comprising advocacy, community support, fiscal and legislative changes, private sector engagement and continuous media communication.

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Diabetes has a high prevalence in Portugal. If 'pre-diabetes' is also considered, about one-third (34.9%) of the population aged 20-79 years is affected. A greater number of males were found to have diabetes. We detected a high percentage of people with undiagnosed diabetes (43.6%).

Background/Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing public health problem. However, data on risk factors and prevalence of CKD exist only in a small number of countries. Portugal has the highest incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among European countries, but there are huge disparities among countries. Whether these disparities reflect differences in risk factors, prevalence of CKD or other factors is currently unknown. Methods: We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 5,167 subjects, and estimated the prevalence of CKD and associated risk factors, and combined these prevalence estimates with available data on ESRD. Results: The prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes (11.7%), obesity (33.7%), and metabolic syndrome (41.5%) was similar to that in the US, but greater than in most European countries. The prevalence of CKD stages 3–5 was 6.1%, which is similar to that in other Western countries. The risk of ESRD was greater than in other European countries, but lower than in the US. Conclusion: The high incidence of ESRD among the Portuguese population is not due to a greater prevalence of CKD. A higher rate of progression associated with the high prevalence of risk factors may account for the high incidence of ESRD. The role of unmeasured factors needs to be evaluated in further studies.

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