Development and validation of a nomogram for assessing risk of isolated high 2-hour plasma glucose

A tool was constructed to assess need of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in patients whose fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are normal. Data was collected from the longitudinal REACTION study conducted from June to November 2011 (14,686 subjects, aged >= 40 y). In people without a prior history of diabetes, isolated high 2-hour plasma glucose was defined as 2-hour plasma glucose >= 11.1 mmol/L, FPG < 7.0 mmol/L, and HbA1c < 6.5%. A predictive nomogram for high 2-hour plasma glucose was developed via stepwise logistic regression. Discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test; performance was externally validated in Northeast China. Parameters in the model included gender, age, drinking status, marriage status, history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, waist-to-hip ratio, FPG, and HbA1c. All variables were noninvasive, except FPG and HbA1c. The AUC of the nomogram for isolated high 2-hour plasma glucose was 0.759 (0.727-0.791) in the development dataset. The AUCs of the internal and externally validation datasets were 0.781 (0.712-0.833) and 0.803 (0.778-0.829), respectively. Application of the nomogram during the validation study showed good calibration, and the decision curve analysis indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful. This practical nomogram model may be a reliable screening tool to detect isolated high 2-hour plasma glucose for individualized assessment in patients with normal FPG and HbA1c. It should simplify clinical practice, and help clinicians in decision-making.