posted 01/15/03
BMI, A1c, fasting and
postprandial readings can diagnose Pre-Diabetes
Measuring body mass index and
setting cutoff values for fasting glucose
levels and A1cs may be enough to
determine whether an individual has
pre-diabetes without having to administer an oral glucose
tolerance test (OGTT), say researchers
in Maryland-including one at the National Institute for Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
In the Diabetes Prevention Program,
criteria for intervention include a body
mass index (BMI) of 24 percent or
greater, a fasting plasma glucose level
of 96 to 125 mg/dl and a two-hour
glucose level of 140 to 199 mg/dl
measured by an OGTT. Unlike the other
measures, the OGTT is considered to
be a time-consuming, inconvenient
and expensive procedure. After
analyzing data from a sample of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74, researchers
determined that using a BMI of 24
percent or more as an initial criterion eliminated 27.2 percent from needing
an OGTT. Of the remaining subjects,
41.1 percent did not need an OGTT
because their fasting glucose levels
varied from the established values of
96 to 125 mg/dl. An A1C level greater
than 5.5% also was established as a
cutoff value.
Individuals with pre-diabetes are urged to use lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, to prevent progression to clinical diabetes.
Source: Diabetes In Control
Dot Com: Diabetes Care, November 2002
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