Age and sex specific reference limits for carbohydrate tolerance.

Glucose estimations in the absence of diabetic symptoms may lead to diagnostic problems when clinicians are confronted with borderline results. This study on 28 581 estimations of post-prandial plasma glucose values gives age and sex specific reference limits derived from regression analysis at the 97.5 percentage point. A linear relationship exists between age and glucose tolerance in both sexes which is affected by the time of specimen collection. No evidence was found in support of bimodality; hence, it is believed that the observed diminution of carbohydrate tolerance with age is characteristic of the entire population.