Objective: To determine insulin resistance in human subjects having impaired glucose regulation (IGR) by Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR).
Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. DURATION OF THE STUDY: This study was carried out between September 2004 to September 2005, at the Department of Chemical Pathology and Clinical Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
Patients and methods: A total of 100 subjects with impaired glucose regulation were selected for evaluation of metabolic syndrome as per the criteria of National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP, ATP III), along with 47 healthy age and gender-matched controls. Physical examination to determine blood pressure and waist circumference was carried out and so was sampling for plasma glucose, serum triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and insulin. Insulin resistance was calculated by the HOMA-IR. Finally, subjects with and without metabolic syndrome were compared with controls (n=47), using one-way ANOVA for studying insulin resistance between groups, with Tukey's post-hoc comparison.
Results: The frequency of finding metabolic syndrome in cases of IGR remained 47%. The insulin resistance demonstrated stepwise worsening from control population (mean=1.54, 95 % CI: 1.77-2.37) to subjects suffering from only IGR (mean=2.07, 95 % CI: 1.77-2.37) to metabolic syndrome (mean= 2.67, 95 %, CI: 2.34 - 3.00) [p<0.001].
Conclusion: Patients with impaired glucose regulation may have significant insulin resistance. It is, thus, recommended that a vigorous search be made to measure insulin resistance in all cases diagnosed to have impaired glucose regulation.