Changes in glucose tolerance during three years' follow-up in an elderly population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe changes in glucose tolerance over 3 y and to establish the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in an unselected non-institutionalised elderly population aged 70 y or over at the beginning of the study. Diabetes was assessed on the basis of self-reports and 2 h oral glucose tolerance tests which were classified according to the 1985 WHO criteria. At the end of the follow-up period, 15% ( n =14) of the men were diagnosed as having previously diagnosed diabetes, 8% ( n =7) as having previously undiagnosed diabetes, 36% ( n =33) as having IGT and the remaining 41% ( n =38) as having normal glucose tolerance. The corresponding figures for the women were: 22% ( n =37), 8% ( n =13), 37% ( n =61) and 34% ( n =56), respectively. More than one third of the people with baseline normal glucose tolerance (NGT) had progressed to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes mellitus (DM) ( n =44). Almost one third of those with baseline IGT had reverted to NGT ( n =24), half had persisting IGT ( n =41) and one fifth had progressed to DM ( n =14). Almost one fifth of the subjects with baseline DM had reverted to IGT ( n =12), and only one had reverted to NGT. In conclusion, a comparatively high proportion of both previously diagnosed diabetes, previously undiagnosed diabetes and IGT were found in the follow-up examinations of this elderly study population. The rate of deterioration of glucose tolerance during 3 y follow-up was also moderately high among these elderly subjects.