The influence of premedication, anaesthesia, age and weight on glucose uptake into human isolated skeletal muscle.

The effect of the anaesthetic procedures and of the sex, age and weight of each patient on glucose uptake and glycogen content of human skeletal muscle has been studied in vitro in the presence and absence of insulin. Statistical analysis indicated that the relationships between age and both glucose uptake and the response to insulin were significant, older patients in general having higher uptakes. The blucose uptake was highly correlated with the three obesity indices (ponderal index, body mass index and percentage of the ideal weight). The anaesthetic agents had no significant effect on glucose uptake. The choice of premedication appeared to have a small effect on the basal glucose uptake level, but as the choice of premedication was also age related and age itself was a significant factor, this effect may not be of importance. It is concluded that the age and the degree of obesity of the patients ought to be taken into account when studying samples of human muscle.