Reference values for fasting serum glucose levels in healthy Iranian adult subjects.

BACKGROUND

Impaired fasting glucose and diabetes are prevalent in Iran; however the definition of high fasting glucose is inconsistent and has not been reported in this population. This study aims at determining the reference values for fasting serum glucose in Iranian adults.

METHODS

Serum glucose concentrations were measured in 10368 adult subjects who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). After excluding those with disease or risk factors, 962 apparently healthy nonsmoking participants (404 men and 558 women), aged 20 to 78 years, remained for analysis. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry guidelines (non-parametric method) and robust methods were used for determining reference values.

RESULTS

Overall, 95% reference values for fasting serum glucose concentrations were 4.0 to 5.7, 3.8 to 5.6, and 3.9 to 5.7 mmol/L in men, women, and total population, respectively. In addition, there is a significant increase for medians of fasting serum glucose with increasing age (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents reference values for serum glucose concentrations in Iranian subjects according to standard criteria and proposes that 3.9 - 5.6 mmol/L could be considered as reference values of fasting serum glucose for this population.