impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)

This is a stage of impaired glucose regulation (Fasting plasma glucose < 7.0 mmol/l and OGTT 2-hour value >= 7.8 mmol/l but < 11.1 mmol/l).

The risk of subsequent conversion to diabetes is about 4.7% per year in Caucasians and higher in some ethnic minority groups.

these people should be followed up annually to reassess glucose regulation and all other cardiovascular risk factors (2)

The incidence of impaired glucose tolerance is:

Complications of impaired glucose tolerence include:

cardiovascular disease - in middle aged men with glucose intolerence have double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (5)
study evidence has revealed an increased mortality risk associated with IGT (6)
- impaired glucose tolerance was associated with an increased mortality risk (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.0)

Reference:

(1) Pulse 2004; 64 (6).
(2) JBS2: Joint British Societies' guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice. Heart 2005; 91 (Supp 5).
(3) Brown, DC et al . Height and glucose tolerence in adult subjects.Diabetologia 1991; 34:531-3.
(4) Harris, M . Impaired glucose tolerence in the US population.Diabetes Care 1989; 12: 464-74.
(5) Fuller, JH et al. Coronary heart disease risk and impaired glucose tolerence: the Whitehall study. Lancet 1980; 1: 1373-6
(6) Barr EL et al. Risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in individuals with diabetes mellitus, impaired fasting glucose, and impaired glucose tolerance: the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab).Circulation. 2007 Jul 10;116(2):151-7

Last reviewed 01/2018

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