A recent study suggests that diabetes complications and mortality may be better predicted with elevated 1-hour blood glucose levels than the 2-hour blood glucose levels. Authors think that the 1-hour test could replace the traditional 2-hour test, making it more acceptable in clinical practice.

Researchers conducted a prospective population-based cohort study of 4,867 men, randomly selected from birth cohorts between 1921 and 1949, who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test with blood glucose measurements at 0, 1, and 2 hours. Subjects were followed for up to 39 years. Discriminative abilities of elevated 1-h at 155 mg/dL. (+8.6mmol/L) versus 2-h at 140 mg/dL. (+7.8mmol/L) glucose for predicting incident type 2 diabetes, vascular complications, and mortality were compared. During follow-up (median 33 years), 636 (13%) individuals developed type 2 diabetes and 1-h glucose was found to be significantly associated with vascular complications and mortality.

This study assumes significance since several randomized clinical trials provide evidence that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least postponed with lifestyle modification and drug therapy. This makes identifying high-risk individuals particularly important.The results obtained demonstrate, the 1-h blood glucose level is a better predictor of future type 2 diabetes than the 2-h glucose level.

Increased 1-h blood glucose levels may also be associated with further diabetes complications such as mortality, myocardial infarction, fatal ischemic heart disease, retinopathy and peripheral vascular complications.

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