Association of Impaired Fasting Glucose With Cardiovascular Disease in the Absence of Risk Factor

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Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
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Yingting Zuo1,2,3,4, Xinsheng Han5, Xue Tian1,2,3,4

  • 1China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|November 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Elevated fasting glucose levels, even without traditional risk factors, increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This highlights the need for early prevention strategies targeting abnormal fasting plasma glucose (FPG).

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Preventive Medicine

Background:

  • The link between impaired fasting glucose and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals lacking traditional atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk factors remains unclear.
  • Current definitions of ASCVD risk factors may not fully capture all at-risk populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between varying fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and the incidence of CVD and its subtypes.
  • To assess CVD risk in individuals without established ASCVD risk factors but with elevated FPG.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 38,297 participants without prior CVD or ASCVD risk factors was analyzed.
  • Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels were measured at baseline (70-125 mg/dL), and participants were followed for a median of 11.0 years.
  • Cox proportional hazards models and multivariable-adjusted spline regression were used to evaluate associations.

Main Results:

  • A total of 1217 incident CVD events were recorded during follow-up.
  • Compared to FPG 70-99 mg/dL, FPG levels of 100-109 mg/dL and 110-125 mg/dL were associated with increased CVD risk (HR 1.18 and 1.27, respectively).
  • A J-shaped association was observed between FPG levels and CVD risk.

Conclusions:

  • Increased abnormal FPG levels are associated with a higher risk of incident CVD, even in the absence of diabetes or other traditional ASCVD risk factors.
  • These findings underscore the importance of primordial prevention strategies that include monitoring and managing FPG levels.
  • Early intervention for elevated FPG may be crucial for reducing CVD incidence in seemingly low-risk individuals.
Abstract

Keywords:
cardiovascular diseasefasting plasma glucoseimpaired fasting glucosetraditional ASCVD risk factors

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