Fasting Plasma Glucose and Coronary Heart Disease in a Rural Population of North Henan, China

Even in individuals without diabetes, the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) increases with the rise in fasting plasma glucose (FPG); however, the threshold of FPG for CHD in rural areas of China is unclear. We retrospectively examined 2,987 people. Coronary angiography records were used to determine the presence of CHD as well as its severity. Risk factors for CHD and the relationship between different levels of FPG and CHD were analyzed. After adjusting for age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, drinking, chronic kidney disease, and previous ischemic stroke, the incidence of CHD in nondiabetic women began to increase when FPG exceeded 5.2 mmol/L (odds ratio (OR) = 1.438, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.099–1.880, p=0.008), and the degree of coronary artery lesions also became more severe (OR = 1.406, 95% CI = 1.107–1.788, p=0.005). However, no such correlations were found in nondiabetic men. In conclusion, among the nondiabetic women in rural areas of northern Henan, both the incidence of CHD and the severity of lesions increased when FPG levels were greater than 5.2 mmol/L, while no significant correlation between FPG and CHD was observed in diabetes-free men.