[Diabetic type of the prednisolone-glucose test as the earliest latent stage of diabetes mellitus].

Prednisolone-glucose tests (PGT) were done in 349 healthy persons and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) secretion in the time course of the glucose tolerance test (GTT) was studied in 48 persons. PGT of diabetic type was established in 33.3% of the persons with normal body mass and in 55.1% with excess body mass and GTT of boundary type. PGT of diabetic type is characterized by insulin secretion of diabetic type in response to glucose intake: the absence of the first peak of a rise of the IRI level and the second higher peak of the IRI level with a prolonged maintenance of IRI values up to the end of the test. The results suggest that PGT of diabetic type is an earlier stage of diabetes mellitus as compared to GTT of diabetic type. Therefore PGT can be used for distinguishing GTT of boundary type as one of the manifestations of diabetes mellitus and as a risk factor. Therapeutic antidiabetic measures are recommended to persons with PGT of diabetic type and prophylactic measures to persons with PGT of normal type.