RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Fasting glycemia is a questionable control test for subjects with diabetes mellitus. 2-h postprandial glycemia is an element that must be considered as complementary in controlling the disease. OBJECTIVES: Compare usefulness of fasting glycemia and 2-h postprandial glycemia as control tests in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Study of diagnostic test. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 112 patients were included in the study, age mean 59 +/- 10.9 and evolution of diagnosis 10.2 +/- 8.3 years. We calculated the mean of three fasting glycemias at the beginning of the study and three determinations of 2-h postprandial glycemia. The habitual drug administration was continued. Sensibility, specificity, predictive values, and precision of each measurement were calculated in relation to HbA1C as a Gold Standard. RESULTS: Correlation of fasting glycemia was 0.74 p < 0.01, and correlation of postprandial glycemia was 0.79 p < 0.01. Fasting glycemia had a sensibility of 0.71 and a specificity of 98. 2-h postprandial glycemia had a sensibility of 0.79 and a specificity of 0.86. When combining fasting glycemia and postprandial glycemia, sensibility was 0.85 and specificity was 1. CONCLUSION: 2-h postprandial glycemia level is more precise than fasting glycemia. Both determinations used together increase usefulness in controlling blood glucose level when lacks hemoglobin A1C.