BASLE LONGITUDINAL-STUDY - REPORT ON THE RELATION OF INITIAL GLUCOSE LEVEL TO BASELINE ECG ABNORMALITIES, PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE, AND SUBSEQUENT MORTALITY

Glucose determinations were made as part of repeat examinations among 1499 middle-aged employed men in Basle, Switzerland. Both prevalence of ECG abnormalities and frequency of peripheral artery disease were analysed to investigate possible association with initial glucose level. No consistent association was seen between baseline glucose and resting ECG endpoints, either in univariate or multivariate analyses. However, in multivariate (though not univariate) analysis, abnormalities on the post exercise ECGs were positively associated with elevated glucose. Unexpectedly, peripheral artery disease was negatively associated with glucose elevation. In mortality analyses, too few deaths from coronary disease occurred in 5 yr to permit any conclusions on long-term risk of hyperglycemia. The data available, however, did not show a positive association of mortality with glucose level. © 1979.