[Diabetes in the Belgian province of Luxembourg: frequency, importance of the oral glucose tolerance test and a modestly increased fasting blood glucose].

A sample of 1949 subjects aged 35-64 years has been studied in the Belgian Province of Luxembourg according with the MONICA project (MONItoring of Trends and Determinants in CArdiovascular Diseases) elaborated by the World Health Organization. Among the data collected, were a fasting glycaemia and a glycaemia at the second hour of a 75 grams oral glucose load. Analysis of these two parameters has allowed to divide the individuals of the study into: 4.1% of diabetic subjects which half of them being unknown, 5.2% of subjects presenting an impaired glucose tolerance, 3.4% of subjects with an early reactive hypoglycaemia and 87.3% of normoglycaemic subjects. The measurement of the fasting glycaemia alone has allowed to display 15 glucidic abnormalities (that is to say 0.8%) whereas the complementary realization of the oral glucose tolerance test has disclosed about 10% of additional abnormalities. The fact to consider a borderline fasting glycaemia (included between 110 and 140 mg/dl on venous plasma) result in a greater probability to find an abnormal blood glucose value at the second hour of the oral glucose tolerance test.