Non-fasting blood glucose and risk of incident coronary heart disease in middle-aged general population: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS)

ObjectiveThe objective was to determine whether non-fasting glucose concentration is a predictor for incident coronary heart disease.MethodsWe investigated a cohort data of 9,900 40- to 69-year-old residents in four Japanese communities for 1975–1986 baseline surveys of the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS). Non-fasting blood glucose concentrations were available for 7,332 participants. Diabetic type was defined as a glucose level of ≥ 11.1 mmol/L and/or the use of medication for diabetes mellitus.ResultsA total of 170 coronary heart disease including 113 myocardial infarctions occurred in non-fasting participants within the median 22-year follow-up period. Multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) of incident coronary heart disease for the participants with diabetic type compared with the normal type were 1.98 (0.84–4.68) for men, 3.39 (1.47–7.81) for women, and 2.47 (1.37–4.46) for total subjects. Corresponding HRs for myocardial infarction were 2.14 (0.83–5.55), 5.70 (2.21–14.67) and 3.17 (1.65–6.10), respectively. Multivariable HRs of incident coronary heart disease per one standard deviation of serum glucose levels were 1.17 (1.02–1.36), 1.19 (1.03–1.38), and 1.19 (1.08–1.32), respectively. The corresponding HRs for myocardial infarction were 1.18 (1.00–1.38), 1.27 (1.07–1.49) and 1.23 (1.10–1.37).ConclusionNon-fasting glucose concentration, either as diagnosis of diabetic type or as continuous variable, proved to be an independent predictor for incident coronary heart disease in middle-aged general population.

► Community-based cohort data of more than seven thousands participants were examined.
► Non-fasting blood glucose predicted incident coronary heart disease independently.
► Both in men and in women, non-fasting blood glucose was a significant predictor.