Hyperglycemia in the Hospitalized Patient

Umpierrez GE, Isaacs SD, Bazargan N, You X, Thaler LM, Kitabchi AE: Hyperglycemia: an independent marker of in-hospital mortality in patients with undiagnosed diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:978-982, 2002 Introduction. Hyperglycemia at time of admission has been associated with increased hospital mortality in critically ill patients; however, it is not known whether hyperglycemia in patients admitted to general hospital wards is also associated with poor outcomes. Design. A retrospective review of medical records of 2,030 consecutive adult patients admitted to a community teaching hospital from July 1, 1998, to October 20, 1998. Aims. The goals of this study were to determine the prevalence of in-hospital hyperglycemia and to determine the survival (primary endpoint) and functional outcome (secondary endpoint) of patients with hyperglycemia with and without diabetes. New hyperglycemia was defined as an admission or in-hospital fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dl or more or a random blood glucose ≥200 mg/dl on two or more determinations in patients who did not have a known history of diabetes. Results. Of the 2,030 admitted patients, 144 patients (7%) were excluded because no blood glucose measurement was recorded during the hospital stay. Data from the remaining 1,886 patients were analyzed. Hyperglycemia was present in 38% of admitted patients; 26% had a known history of diabetes, and 12% had no history of …