T2, diagnosis by ecg?

[MrsA2]

BBC News - Hospitals trial AI to spot type 2 diabetes risk

Hospitals trial AI to spot type 2 diabetes risk

The system checks patients' ECG heart traces for subtle early warning signs.

www.bbc.com

Putting aside the AI aspect to this report, I'm intrigued that T2 may be diagnosable by ECG. I've never heard this before. Can anyone explain how?

 

[Melgar]

I read that in the Guardian newspaper. The AI is able to identify slight variations in the heart rate pattern. Apparently these variations, which are very subtle, are indicators of Prediabetes and diabetes risk. It’s based on the cardiac involvement in diabetes. They are able to detect structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular system - something todo with the electrical properties of the heart before there are symptoms due to raised blood sugar.

Machine-learning algorithm to non-invasively detect diabetes and pre-diabetes from electrocardiogram | BMJ Innovations

ed to add link

 

[KennyA]

Having read the paper it seems that what they done is to develop something that will (at +95% efficiency) detect existing conditions which they call diabetes and pre-diabetes, but I assume that means simply "people who do not have normal blood glucose". I guess given the population studied there are big advantages in being able to do a test there and then, and not having to do blood draws and lab tests. As the authors say, this can help in early detection.

I don't see how this can be described as "predicting" anything. The people detected already have problems. It's a diagnostic test.