The relationship of fasting plasma glucose values and other variables to 2-h postload plasma glucose in Japanese subjects

OBJECTIVE - To investigate the relationship between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) values and other variables (e.g., age, sex, and BMI) to 2-h post-75-g oral glucose load glycemia (PG) in Japanese subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Subjects included 13,694 Japanese subjects be tween 20 and 83 years of age (10,677 men and 3,017 women) who were undergoi ng a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during a health screening perf ormed at our hospital. The influences of age for 2-h PG at a fixed fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level of 126 mg/dl were analyzed. Multiple linear regr ession analysis was performed using a model in which the dependent variable was 2-h PG using the following explanatory variables: FPG, age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels. RESULTS - The 2-h PG at a fixed FPG of 126 mg/dl increased by 0.94 mg/dl pe r year in patients aged between 30 and 78 years (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001). In multiple regression, five explanatory variables (FPG, age, BMI, plasma TG l evels, and systolic blood pressure levels) were all positively associated w ith 2-h PG. The percentages of patients with 2-h diabetes (isolated postcha llenge hyperglycemia [IPH]) versus fasting plus 2-h diabetes by the World H ealth Organization criteria sigificantly (P = 0.005) increased as the patie nts' decades increased, whereas the impact of BMI on the percentages was si gnificant only in young patients (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS - Aging was found to be the second best predictor of 2-h PG on multiple regression. Therefore, OGTT should be performed especially in elde rly patients because they show IPH more frequently.