Does State Anxiety Affect the Outcome of an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test?

Abstract

Aim: Some experimental studies reported that state anxiety is mediated by sympathetic effect of autonomic nervous system with an increase in norepinephrine secretion regulated by the catechol-o- methyltransferase gene. We conducted a prospective study investigating the effect of state anxiety of the subjects prior to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on the test outcomes. Material and Methods: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) TX-1 form was given to the patients whom OGTT was indicated for this prospective study. OGTTs were performed by the same nurse and in the same test room during this study. STAI TX-1 form consisted 20 items and each one of them had weighted scores from 1 to 4. Results: We included 516 patients to whom OGTT was performed and who completed STAI TX-1 form. No significant association between state anxiety score and OGTT outcomes was found. Pairwise comparisons showed BMI and waist circumference in the group of married were significantly higher than those in the group of single. Similarly, the percentage of DM diagnosis following OGTT in the group of married was significantly higher than that in the group of single. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that test-dependent state anxiety had no impact on OGTT outcomes. Evaluating state anxiety of the patients right before OGTT may not be required; however, as described in the literature, it is worthwhile to remember chronic anxiety could affect the outcomes of OGTT and a randomized prospective study is necessary to help determine if evaluating trait anxiety is required prior to OGTT.