Impaired glucose metabolism in hypertensive patients

We have studied glucose tolerance under carefully controlled conditions in 79 patients with arterial hypertension. The results show that, in patients with arterial hypertension but without clinical diabetes mellitus, the glucose tolerance was abnormal in 77.3% and normal in 22.3%. The corresponding figure in the control group of normotensive subjects was 0%. In each test the responses to glucose administration were analyzed by plotting the logarithm of the blood glucose concentration against time. For the points between 60 and 120 min, corresponding to the periods following glucose administration, a linear relationship was obtained and showed a decline at an exponential rate, as noted by other observers. An estimate of the volume of distribution of glucose was obtained as follows. Values observed in hypertensives with a pathological percent fall in blood glucose per minute (Kg) were 29.8 +/- 12.0 (mean +/- SD) liters and those in normal subjects with normal Kg values had a mean of 14.35 +/- 2.98, the difference being highly significant (p less than 0.0001). The results of the theoretical glucose concentration are also presented. Those obtained from subjects with normal Kg values (359.0 +/- 58.4 mg/dl) are significantly higher than in subjects with pathological Kg values (257.6 +/- 51.3 mg/dl; p less than 0.0001). All patients with either pathological or normal Kg values had normal glucose concentration levels, fasting blood sugar and no glucose in the urine specimen. The difference between pathological Kg values (107.0 +/- 25.8 mg/dl) and normal Kg values (90.6 +/- 13.0 mg/dl) was not found to be statistically different (p greater than 0.05). The distribution and means of glucose half time in controls with normal Kg values and hypertensives with pathological Kg values were: 63.5 +/- 11.5 and 137.8 +/- 48.1 min, respectively. The difference between normal and pathological Kg values being statistically significant at a confidence level above 99.5%. We also studied the free glucose pool at zero time. A significantly higher level was found in hypertensives with pathological Kg values, again indicating an impairment in glucose metabolism in this group: 90.6 +/- 26.5 vs. 65.0 +/- 5.4 g (p less than 0.0001). Another study showed an estimate of the mean cellular glucose uptake (MCUg) per minute and per kilogram body weight. The MCUg following glucose loading decreased considerably in hypertensives with pathological Kg values. The percentage reduction ranged between 50 and 55% hypertensives with pathological Kg values 4.1 +/- 0.8, and normotensives with normal Kg values, 8.0 +/- 0.6 (p less than 0.0001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)