title: Glucose tolerance and mortality from ischemic heart disease in an elderly population. Impact of repeated glucose measurements.
abstract: The impact of glucose tolerance, measured repeatedly, on the mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) was assessed in a cohort of 202 elderly patients, aged 64 to 84 years in 1971, from a general practice. During the period from 1971 to 1975 the participants were examined annually. The area under the glucose tolerance curve (AUC) was used as a summary index, and for every subject the mean AUC over the 5-year period was calculated. This index was most strongly correlated with the mean 60-minute glucose level (r = 0.96). Between 1975 and 1987, 125 participants died, 28.8% of whom died from IHD. No association between a single measurement of glucose tolerance and IHD mortality was observed. However, using the mean AUC over the 5-year period, a positive association was observed, independent of age, sex, and other potential confounders (P = 0.04). These results indicate that glucose tolerance independently predicts mortality from coronary heart disease in an elderly cohort, provided that information on repeated measurements is taken into account. A continuous risk gradient is suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Feskens
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bowles
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kromhout
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose