Is the current definition for diabetes relevant to mortality risk from all causes and cardiovascular and noncardiovascular diseases?
OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG) and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-CVD and to determine whether the relationship is graded or threshold. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Diabetes Epidemiology: Collaborative Analysis Of Diagnostic Criteria in Europe (DECODE) is a collaborative prospective study of 22 cohorts in Europe with baseline glucose measurements for 29714 subjects aged 30-89 years who were followed-up for 11 years (329050 person-years). Hazard ratio (HR) for death was estimated using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: High glucose concentrations as well as very low glucose levels were associated with increased risk of death. Compared with an FPG of 4.50-6.09 mmol/l, the multivariate-adjusted HR (95% CI) for FPG <4.50 mmol/l was 1.2 (1.0-1.4) for all-cause, 1.3 (1.0-1.8) for CVD, and 1.1 (0.9-1.4) for non-CVD mortality; the corresponding HRs for diabetes (FPG >or=7.0 mmol/l) were 1.6 (
