Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome

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Comparison of venous plasma glycemia and capillary glycemia for the screening of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Japanese-Brazilian community of Mombuca (Guatapará-SP)

Maria C Foss-Freitas1*, Regina CG de Andrade2, Roberta C Figueiredo3, Ana E Pace4, Edson Z Martinez3, Amaury L Dal Fabro3, Laércio J Franco3 and Milton C Foss1

Author Affiliations

1 Departamento de Clinica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto-USP, (Av. Bandeirantes 3900), Ribeirão Preto-SP(14049-900), Brazil

2 Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto-USP, (Av. Bandeirantes 3900), Ribeirão Preto-SP(14049-900), Brazil

3 Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto-USP, (Av. Bandeirantes 3900), Ribeirão Preto-SP(14049-900), Brazil

4 Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto-USP, (Av. Bandeirantes 3900), Ribeirão Preto - SP (14040-902), Brazil

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Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome 2010, 2:6 doi:10.1186/1758-5996-2-6

Published: 22 January 2010

Abstract

Background

To identify the most appropriate cut-off points of fasting glycemia for the screening of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) with the comparison of the properties of capillary glycemia (CG) and venous blood plasma glycemia (PG) in a population of Japanese origin from the community of Mombuca, Guatapará - SP, Brazil.

Methods

This was a population-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 131 individuals of both genders aged 20 years or more (66.8% of the target population). CG was measured with a glucometer in a blood sample obtained from the fingertip and PG was determined by an enzymatic method (hexokinase) in venous blood plasma, after a 10-14 hour fast in both cases. Data were analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in order to identify the best cut-off point for fasting glycemia (CG and PG) for the diagnosis of DM, using the 2-hour plasma glycemia > 200 mg/dl as gold - standard.

Results

The ROC curve revealed that the best cut-off point for the screening of DM was 110 mg/dl for CG and 105 mg/dl for PG, values that would optimize the relation between individuals with positive and false-positive results. The area under the ROC curve was 0.814 for CG (p < 0.01) and 0.836 for PG (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

The cut-off points of 105 mg/dl(5.8 mmol/l) for PG and of 110 mg/dl(6.1 mmol/l) for CG appear to be the most appropriate for the screening of DM2 in the population under study, with emphasis on the fact that the value recommended for CG is 5 mg/dl higher than that for PG, in contrast to WHO recommendations.