Tuesday 22 November 2022 11:11 PM Calls for UK to screen for diabetes: Experts say cancer-like programme could ... trends now
The NHS has a swathe of screening programmes aiming to catch health problems and disease early when they are easiest to treat.
With calls to make a specific diabetes screening programme MailOnline looks at those currently available:
Antenatal screening
NHS health screening technically begins before we're even born.
Antenatal screening examines the health of a baby while they are in the womb.
It features a combination of ultrasounds and blood tests.
The blood tests can help determine if a baby has a chance of inherited conditions like sickle cell anaemia and if the mother has diseases like HIV hepatitis B or syphilis that medics need to be aware of.
An ultrasound can also help determine the general health of the foetus and if they have a condition like Down's syndrome.
Newborn screening
Shortly after a baby is born they undergo a variety of general health check.
This involves a physical examination of the baby, a hearing test and a blood test to detect any health conditions or disabilities.
The physical examination is generally done 72 hours after birth.
It examines the eyes, heart, hips and for boys the testicles for any developmental problems that need to be treated or monitored.
The blood test, which is taken from the baby's heel, looks for nine rare but serious health conditions.
These include cystic fibroses, hormonal deficiencies and a variety of inheritable metabolic diseases.
A hearing test is conducted within the first few weeks to see parents will need additional support as their baby grows.
School entry health check
When children first enter school, between the ages of four and five, parents are offered a general check of their health.
This includes examines the height and weight of the child to check if the under or overweight.
Other checks involve hearing and vision tests to ensure children get the necessary treatment like hearing aids or glasses before they start learning.
Diabetes eye health check
This is a specific annual eye test that people with diabetes are invited for from the age of 12 onwards to ensure their disease is not damaging their vision.
It involves taking pictures of the back of the eye to find if the high blood pressure caused by diabetes is leading to loss of sight.
Called diabetic retinopathy, this damage can cause blindness if left untreated.
Cervical cancer screening
Women between the age of 25 and 64 are invited for a cervical screening check.
Commonly referred to as the smear test it involves taking a swab of cells from the cervix via a woman's vagina and takes about 15 minutes.
This swab is sent for analysis for human papillomavirus (HPV) a group of viruses that can trigger changes to cells that lead to cancer.
If the sample
