The goal of this study is the creation and use of a five-stage scale for the description of the health status of a type 2 diabetes mellitus patient population, as individuals and as a set. The scale, named UISESS, ranges from the pre-pathological to the sequelae stage, and can help orient multidisciplinary prevention actions.A sample of nondiabetics (n = 404), together with a census of all type 2 diabetic patients (n = 2,702) over 30 years of age, were obtained from a family medicine clinic of the Mexican Federal Social Security System (IMSS) in Guadalajara, Mexico.A descriptive study in which the Natural History of the Disease and an epidemiological focus on risk were used to create the UISESS scale. Case histories of a total of 3,106 persons from a family practice clinic were used. The data was classified in five stages and three risk control levels were used for analysis.In the type 2 diabetic group, the average age was 57.6 years; 58% were women. In the nondiabetic group, the average age was 55.38 years; 63% were women. The UISESS scale was applied. A large majority (86%) of the studied type 2 diabetic patients were classified within unfavorable stages for controlling their illness, and 65% of the 3,106 people were at high or very high risk of increasing deterioration of their health status.The UISESS scale appears to be a useful tool to detect the distribution, evolution and control of type 2 diabetes in a population attended at the outpatient clinic of a family medicine unit, according to the Natural History of the Disease.