Some 24,000 people in Ireland could have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, a new study indicates.

It looked at almost 30,000 people between 2009 and 2013 in an attempt to assess diabetes and cardiovascular risk in the Irish population.

The study revealed that 17% of the participants - almost 5,000 people - had abnormal initial fasting blood sugar levels, 10% had confirmed pre-diabetes and 1.8% had undiagnosed diabetes.

If a person has pre-diabetes, it means that their blood sugar level is higher than normal, but is not yet high enough to be classed as type 2 diabetes. Without intervention, it is highly likely that people with pre-diabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes.

Meanwhile, the study, which was conducted on behalf of VHI Healthcare, also found that men were two to three times more likely to have abnormal blood sugar levels and undiagnosed diabetes than women.

It noted that people with abnormal blood sugar levels were much more likely to be older, male, smokers, with high blood pressure and a higher body mass index (BMI), including more abdominal obesity.

They were also less likely to consume fruit and vegetables and exercise five days a week.

"The results of our research suggest that the rate of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes is higher in Ireland than in similar European countries, such as Britain and Holland. These results provide valuable information for strategic healthcare planning and use of healthcare resources in Ireland," commented study author, Dr Bernadette Carr, medial director of VHI Healthcare.

She said that the findings also show how important it is for people to ‘understand and manage their own health risks'.

"By making some very simple lifestyle changes, people can improve their outcomes, and in the case of pre-diabetes can even delay or prevent progression to diabetes," she added.

Details of this study are published in the journal, PLOS ONE.