Admission Plasma Glucose and Diabetes Mellitus in Elderly Admissions to Hospital

Over 6 months, all admissions to three geriatric wards were studied to define an admission plasma glucose level (APG) that identified previously undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. Subjects with APG≥7.0 mmol l−1 had a modified oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) when well before discharge if their dose of steroid and/or thiazide was constant, and they were neither terminally ill nor dead; excluded were 1 subject on reducing steroid doses, and 9 moribund admissions without APG. If the first 2 h OGTT result was ≥11.1 mmol l−1, a second OGTT was performed 6 weeks later to fulfil 1985 WHO criteria. Subjects with APG