Endocrine Abstracts

Undiagnosed diabetes and impaired fasting glucose, a condition that increases the risk for diabetes, have important health consequence. About one-third diabetes was undiagnosed. Thus, prevalence estimates based on self-report or doctor diagnosed disease are underestimates of total prevalence of diabetes, which includes individuals with both known and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. To examine the prevalence of undiagnosed glucose intolerance, we did 75 g oral glucose tolerance test in consecutive 1142 health check middle aged subjects (age range 40–55 y.o.) in 2006 who were working in a company (914 men, mean 50.7 y.o., 228 women, mean 49.4 y.o.). Nobody had had the history of atherosclerotic diseases or been diagnosed as impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or diabetes. Fasting glucose levels increased as old age in both men and women, and the levels were higher in men than women in each age. Glucose intolerance is more common in men as compared with women (Fasting 100.1±19.7 vs 92.9±9.6, P<0.01, 1-hour 170.7±52.1 vs 139.7±11.6, P<0.01, 2-hour 136.0±50.1 vs 119.8±31.5 mg/dl, P<0.01). The prevalence of IGT and DM was higher in men than women (IGT: 24.1 vs 16.7, P<0.01, DM 10.7 vs 1.4%, P<0.01). Blood pressure and triglyceride levels also higher in men than women (124.0±18.5/76.9±11.6 vs 114.8±19.4/70.6±12.5 mmHg, P<0.01, 148.1±109.4 vs 88.2±44.0 mg/dl, P<0.01). HDL cholesterol levels were lower in men than in women (58.8±16.0 vs 72.6±17.4 mg/dl, P<0.01). Coronary heart disease is more common in men as compared with women, and the incidence in women is about 10 years older than men. Glucose intolerance is often associated with other risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. These features of undiagnosed glucose intolerance during the working age people may contribute to the gender difference in the incidence of coronary artery disease in Japan.