Clinical Implications of Using Post-Challenge Plasma Glucose Levels for Early Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Older Individuals

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore the differences in the clinical characteristics and diagnostic rates of diabetes mellitus (DM) according to various criteria in different age groups and to evaluate the efficacy of each criterion for screening older patients.MethodsWe studied 515 patients and measured the fasting plasma glucose level (FPG), 2-hour plasma glucose level after the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (2-hour postload glucose [2-h PG]), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for re-evaluation of hyperglycemia without a history of diabetes. Patients with newly diagnosed DM were grouped by age as younger (<65 years) or older (≥65 years).ResultsOlder patients had significantly lower HbA1c, FPG, and 2-h PG levels and a higher homeostatic level of pancreatic β-cell function compared with younger patients (P