Australian scientists have discovered a simple way of detecting diabetes death risk with blood tests, local media reported on Friday.

Associate Professor Graham Hillis of the University of Sydney has conducted a study on 3,862 type 2 diabetes patients, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

Findings in the study revealed that two readily available blood tests can help doctors detect high-risk patients who are most likely to die or suffer a heart attack.

Hillis says better risk detection might allow doctors to save lives with intensive treatment or further investigation.

"Simple screening tests that better detect high-risk patients would be particularly valuable," he concluded in a report on the study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

The risk of death has increased among people with type 2 diabetes, but until now doctors have not known which of the 946, 000 Australian patients need special attention.

Globally, there are more than 350 million people suffering from type 2 diabetes, which is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases in the world.