ON THE INTRAVENOUS GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST

Abstract
The changes in blood glucose concentration during a rapid intravenous glucose tolerance test (GTT) were studied in 50 tests on non-diabetic subjects and in 22 tests on patients with diabetes mellitus and analyzed statistically. For the calculation of the true rate of disappearance of glucose, the absolute glucose values (and not the excess values which are the absolute minus fasting) have to be used. Glucose values after equilibrium (time for equilibration of glucose being 25-30 minutes) should be used. A straight line relationship was obtained when glucose concentration was plotted semilogarith-mically against time. From this straight line can be calculated the rate of disappearance of glucose which the authors considered to be the most appropriate criterion for the evaluation of an intravenous GTT.