LAUSR

Objective: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) predisposes to future development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and may also be associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Hypertension is an established CVD risk factor. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of IFG and the associated anthropometric and metabolic disturbances in patients with hypertension. Design and method: Consecutive hypertensive patients not on any hypolipidemic treatment and without a diagnosis of T2DM were included. IFG was defined as a serum glucose > 100 mg/dl according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Results: The total sample consisted of 1381 participants; between them 78 patients were diagnosed to have T2DM and they were excluded from the analyses leaving a final sample of 1303 hypertensive patients [41.0% men; median age 58 (range: 15–90) years] not on any hypolipidemic treatment and without a diagnosis of T2DM. IFG was identified in 469 patients (36%). IFG was more prevalent in males than in females (42.4% vs 31.8%, p < 0.001). Patients with IFG had greater body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase and uric acid serum levels compared with patients with normal serum glucose levels. Conclusions: This study reveals that in a sample of patients with hypertension one out of three has IFG. This is more prevalent among men. IFG is associated with the presence of a more aggravated anthropometric and biochemical profile possibly associated with an increased CVD risk.