Abstract

Background: Earlier studies have shown that individuals with an impaired glucose tolerance have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. 

The present study is a substudy of a broader investigation concerning clinical and laboratory parameters in healthy individuals during a screening process found to have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) - defined as having a 2 hour value for p-glucose in the range 7.8-11.0 mmol/L on OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test).

Method: Blood pressure, pulse rate, laboratory parameters, blood and plasma viscosity were studied in 27 individuals (age range 39-76 years, 14 women and 13 men) with IGT – all of them without clinical signs of vascular or other somatic disease.

Results: The individuals with IGT had a laboratory profile close to patients with overt diabetes type II.  Compared to the healthy control group, IGT individuals had higher values for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, blood and plasma viscosity (p<0.05 – p<0.001), higher values for B-glucose, triglycerides and S-GT (p<0.05 - p<0.01) but lower values for S-Kreatinine (p<0.001). Blood pressure and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were positively correlated to plasma viscosity. Pulse rate at rest and after exercise was negatively correlated to blood and plasma viscosity.     

Conclusion: The study shows that even minor abnormalities of glucose metabolism tend to be harmful and may create a health risk and especially a risk for vascular disease. It is thus strongly recommended to identity and follow these asymptomatic individuals to avoid or postpone, by preventive measures, the onset of overt clinical disease.