Diabetes Risk Score for Indians (Health Risk Checker)
Four questions tell you your risk of type 2 diabetes, using the Indian Diabetes Risk Score built for Indian bodies. No blood test needed to start. Reviewed by Dr. Ravi Sishir Reddy.
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This is a screening estimate, not a diagnosis. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
What is the Indian Diabetes Risk Score?
The Indian Diabetes Risk Score, or IDRS, is a simple tool developed by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation to find people at high risk of type 2 diabetes without a blood test. It uses four factors: age, waist size, physical activity, and family history. Each is scored, and the total ranges from 0 to 100. It was built and validated on Indian people, which is why it works better here than scores designed for Western populations, where risk begins at higher body sizes. A high score does not mean you have diabetes; it means you should get a blood sugar test to find out.
How the score works
Here is how the four factors are scored. Your total places you in one of three risk bands.
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Age under 35 / 35 to 49 / 50 or over | 0 / 20 / 30 |
| Waist, men under 90 / 90 to 99 / 100+ cm (women under 80 / 80 to 89 / 90+ cm) | 0 / 10 / 20 |
| Activity, vigorous / moderate / mild / none | 0 / 10 / 20 / 30 |
| Family history, no parent / one parent / both parents | 0 / 10 / 20 |
| Total score | Risk of diabetes |
|---|---|
| Below 30 | Low risk |
| 30 to 50 | Moderate risk |
| 60 and above | High risk, get tested |
What to do with your score
- Low risk: keep it that way with activity and a sensible diet, and recheck if your waist or weight changes.
- Moderate risk: this is the stage to act. Increasing activity and reducing waist size can move you back down. A fasting glucose or HbA1c test is worthwhile.
- High risk: get a blood sugar test soon, ideally fasting glucose and HbA1c. Many people at this level already have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, which is very treatable when caught early.
Two of the four factors, waist and activity, are within your control, and both respond to change. If your score is up, our guides on reversing prediabetes and managing type 2 diabetes explain the next steps, and you can check your waist ratio and BMI too.
"What I like about the IDRS is that it needs no needle and takes a minute, yet it finds the people who most need a blood test. A high score is not a verdict, it is an early warning, and that is exactly when we can do the most. Many patients with a high score turn out to have prediabetes, which is often reversible. I would far rather see someone at that stage than after diabetes and its complications have set in."
Dr. Ravi Sishir Reddy, Consultant Physician, Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet
Note: This is a screening tool for adults, not a diagnosis. A low score does not rule out diabetes, and a high score does not confirm it. Only a blood test can diagnose diabetes. If you have symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, or unexplained weight loss, see a doctor regardless of your score.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Indian Diabetes Risk Score?
The Indian Diabetes Risk Score, or IDRS, is a simple tool developed by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation to estimate your risk of type 2 diabetes without a blood test. It uses four factors: age, waist size, physical activity, and family history of diabetes. The total ranges from 0 to 100, where below 30 is low risk, 30 to 50 is moderate, and 60 or above is high risk.
What score means high risk of diabetes?
A score of 60 or above is high risk. At this level, many people already have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, so a blood sugar test, ideally a fasting glucose and an HbA1c, is strongly advised. A score of 30 to 50 is moderate risk and also worth a test, while below 30 is low risk. The score finds risk early, but only a blood test can diagnose diabetes.
Is this diabetes risk score accurate for Indians?
Yes, it was developed and validated specifically on Indian people, which is its main strength. Indians develop diabetes at lower body sizes than Western populations, so risk tools built abroad can miss it. The IDRS uses waist cut-offs and factors suited to Indians. It is a screening tool, so it estimates risk rather than diagnosing, but for Indians it is one of the better simple tools available.
Can I lower my diabetes risk score?
Partly, yes. Age and family history cannot change, but two of the four factors, your waist size and your physical activity, are within your control. Becoming more active and reducing your waist through diet and exercise lowers both your score and your real risk. Even modest changes help, and they work best started early, before diabetes develops, which is exactly what the score is designed to catch.
Does a low score mean I definitely do not have diabetes?
No. A low score means your risk is lower, but it does not rule diabetes out completely, because no screening tool is perfect. If you have symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, or slow-healing wounds, see a doctor and get a blood test regardless of your score. The score guides who should be tested; it does not replace testing.
Do I need a blood test if my score is high?
Yes. A high score is a prompt to get a blood sugar test, usually a fasting glucose and an HbA1c, which together show whether you have prediabetes or diabetes. This is the only way to know for sure. The good news is that finding it at this stage is valuable, because prediabetes is often reversible and early diabetes is very treatable, which prevents complications later.
How is waist measured for this score?
Measure your waist at the level of the navel, after breathing out, without pulling the tape tight. For the score, the cut-offs differ by sex: for men, under 90 cm scores 0, 90 to 99 scores 10, and 100 or more scores 20; for women the cut-offs are under 80, 80 to 89, and 90 or more. Accurate, relaxed measurement gives the most reliable score.
Where can I get a diabetes test in Begumpet, Hyderabad?
Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet has an in-house lab for fasting glucose and HbA1c with same-day reporting and physician review, so a high risk score can be checked and explained in one visit. Book on WhatsApp at +91 7207904418. Diabetes screening is part of our health checkup packages, and our physicians can set a plan if your test is abnormal.
A High Score Is an Early Warning, Not a Diagnosis. Get Tested.
Turn your score into an answer with a simple blood test, read and explained the same day by our physician at our Begumpet lab. If it is prediabetes, we can often help you turn it around.
Address: Vivekananda Hospital, 6-3-871/A, Greenlands Road, Beside CM Camp Office, Begumpet, Hyderabad 500016
Also serving: Ameerpet, Prakash Nagar, Somajiguda, Punjagutta, Secunderabad, SR Nagar, Banjara Hills
About the Medical Reviewer
Dr. Ravi Sishir Reddy (MBBS, MD General Medicine) is a full-time Consultant Physician at Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet, Hyderabad, with over 15 years of clinical experience in internal medicine, critical care, and diabetes screening and management. NMC registration verifiable on the Indian Medical Register.
Medical disclaimer: This risk checker is for general health information and education only. It is a screening estimate, not a diagnosis, and does not replace a blood test or medical assessment. Only a doctor and blood tests can diagnose diabetes. In an emergency, call +91 7207904418 or visit the nearest emergency department.
References: Mohan et al, Indian Diabetes Risk Score, MDRF | WHO, Diabetes | International Diabetes Federation, India figures