Cardiovascular disease risk among subjects with impaired fasting glucose in the United States: Results from NHANES 1999–2004

Summary Background Type 2 diabetes is a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that there is an association between cardiovascular risk and impaired fasting glucose. This study describes the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and examines the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among US adults with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Methods This study is a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 1999–2004. The study included 1925 individuals with normoglycemia, 838 with IFG, and 275 subjects with diabetes. Individuals 20–79 years old and free of CHD were included in this analysis. Ten-year CHD risk was assessed by Framingham Risk Score sheets. Results Compared to normoglycemic individuals, subjects with IFG had higher rates of obesity, hypertension, high LDL-C, low HDL-C, and high triglycerides. Among male and female adults, respectively, the 10-year absolute risk of developing CHD increased from 8.78% (95% CI, 7.54–10.03%) and 3.13% (95% CI, 2.86–3.40%) for normoglycemic subjects to 9.11% (95% CI, 8.01–10.22%) and 6.09% (95% CI, 5.62–6.56%) for subjects with IFG, and further to 14.84% (95% CI, 12.95–16.72%) and 13.04% (95% CI, 11.15–14.94%) for subjects with diabetes. Compared to normoglycemic individuals, the 10-year odds ratio for CHD was 1.83 (95% CI, 1.62–2.08) for females and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.88–1.34) for males with impaired fasting glucose. Conclusions Females with IFG had a significant 83% increased 10-year risk of developing CHD compared to subjects with normal glucose levels. While our results need replication, controlling IFG in females may reduce their CHD risk.