Oral glucose tolerance test: A reliable tool for early detection of glucose abnormalities in patients with acute myocardial infarction in clinical practice - A report on repeated oral glucose tolerance tests from the GAMI Study

OBJECTIVE- Previously undetected glucose abnormalities are common in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We evaluated long-term reliability of early glucometabolic classification of patients with AMI by repeated oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- A glucometabolic OGTT-based classification was obtained in 122 patients by measuring capillary whole-blood glucose. The classification was performed on three occasions, before hospital discharge and 3 and 12 months thereafter. RESULTS- At discharge, 34, 31, and 34% were classified as having normal glucose tolerance, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or type 2 diabetes, respectively, and 93% of all patients with type 2 diabetes were still classified with type 2 diabetes (n = 27) or IGT (n = 12) after 12 months. The agreements between the OGTTs at discharge and 3 and 12 months were K = 0.35, P < 0.001, and K = 0.43, P < 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS - The outcome of an OGTT performed in AMI patients at hospital discharge reliably informs on long-term glucometabolic state.