Robert P. van Waateringe, from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective analysis involving 72,880 participants from the Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study who had validated baseline skin autofluorescence values available and were not known to have diabetes or CVD.

The researchers found that 1.4 percent of participants developed type 2 diabetes, 1.7 percent were diagnosed with CVD, and 1.3 percent died after a median follow-up of four years. Participants with incident type 2 diabetes and/or CVD and those who died had elevated baseline skin autofluorescence compared with individuals who survived and remained free of type 2 diabetes and/or CVD. Independent of traditional risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome, glucose, and hemoglobin A1c, skin autofluorescence predicted development of type 2 diabetes, CVD, and mortality.

“Both previous and present findings support the clinical utility of skin autofluorescence as a first screening method for type 2 diabetes, CVD, and mortality,” the authors write. “The quick, noninvasive measurement of skin autofluorescence may even allow use in nonmedical settings or public locations such as supermarkets, pharmacies, or drug stores as a first estimate of risk.”

Two authors disclosed financial ties to Diagnoptics Technologies, manufacturer of the advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) reader used in the study.