The objective of this study was to determine frequency of admission hyperglycemia and abnormal glucose tolerance at discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction and no previous history of diabetes mellitus.
Methods and results: Data on 1522 patients with acute myocardial infarction and no previous history of diabetes mellitus were analyzed. Before discharge from hospital, standardized oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 197 patients with admission hyperglycemia.
Results: Admission hyperglycemia (> or =6.1 mmol/L) was determined in half of the patients with acute myocardial infarction: glucose concentration of 6.1-6.99 mmol/L was in 21.5% and > or =7.0 mmol/L in 30.1% of the patients. By using glucose tolerance test, normal glucose metabolism was noted in 57.9% of the patients with admission hyperglycemia; abnormal glucose tolerance was diagnosed newly in more than one-third and glucose concentration of > or =11.1 mmol/L in 10.1% of the patients.
Conclusions: Abnormal glucose tolerance is a frequent feature in nondiabetic patients with admission hyperglycemia during acute myocardial infarction, and glucose tolerance test should be considered in all patients with ischemic heart disease for early modification of this risk factor.