EVALUATION OF RANDOM BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS AMONG AMBULANT WOMEN

In the course of the annual diabetes detection drives from 1948 through 1956 at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, we accumulated 1,068 random blood glucose determinations, on 936 women, by the Folin-Wu method. Duplications represent different years or rechecks of questionably abnormal values; if the rechecks confirmed the presence of diabetes, only the original value was included in the series to be presented here. Ages ranged from 3 months to 79 years; 739 persons were under 40. Three hundred twelve were 5 lb. (2.3 kg.) or more overweight; 307 gave a positive family history of diabetes. There was no preparatory period of high carbohydrate intake and no standard pretest meal. The types of food taken and the time of the last meal or snack were noted. All individuals were ambulant; the degree of activity between the last feeding and venipuncture varied.

These random blood glucose levels were arranged in