Intravenous glucose tolerance as a tool in definition and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The use of the intravenous glucose-tolerance test as a measure of “ diabeticity ” and the incorporation of it in a definition of diabetes mellitus is discussed. In a group of diabetics (patients visiting a diabetic clinic) the k-value (the slope of the blood-sugar curve in a semilogarithmic system) was between 0.20 and 1.02. In a group of somewhat younger non-diabetics (patients without symptoms of diabetes mellitus and without glycosuria) the k-value was between 0.96 and 3.45. There is a rough correlation between the k-value in diabetes mellitus and the degree of diabetes as judged by the insulin requirement. A statistical correlation obtains between the k-value and the fall of the blood sugar in the oral glucose-tolerance test. Some examples are given of the use of the intravenous glucose-tolerance test as a tool in the definition and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. © 1962, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.