Effects of the WHO 1985 criteria and the proposed new diagnostic criteria on the prevalence of diabetes in an elderly population.

Population data suggest that a fasting blood glucose level of > or = 6.1 mmol/l corresponds best to a two-hour blood glucose level of > or = 11.1 mmol/l, which is associated with an increased risk of developing microvascular complications. The proposed new criteria, and the WHO 1985 criteria for diabetes, were applied in an elderly population, which underwent a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test. The prevalence of diabetes was higher when the proposed new criteria were used than when the old criteria were used. In calculating the prevalence of diabetes, the fasting blood glucose > or = 6.1 mmol/l corresponded better to the combination of fasting and/or two-hour values than did fasting blood glucose > or = 6.7 mmol/l. The prevalence obtained by using either of these fasting values alone or in combination with two-hour values corresponded poorly to that obtained by using mere two-hour blood glucose values.