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

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 ove r 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 accordi ng 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 un diagnosed diabetes, 36% (rt = 33) as having IGT and the remaining 41% (n = 38) as having normal glucose tolerance. The corresponding figures for the w omen were: 22% (n = 37), 8% (n = 13), 37% (n = 61) and 34% (n = 56), respec tively. More than one third of the people with baseline normal glucose tolerance (N GT) 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 progresse d to DM (n = 14). Almost one fifth of the subjects with baseline DM had rev erted 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 deterioratio n of glucose tolerance during 3 y follow-up was also moderately high among these elderly subjects.