Acarbose Slows Progression of Intima-Media Thickness of the Carotid Arteries in Subjects With Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Abstract
Background and Purpose— Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)–a prediabetic state–is an important risk factor for atherosclerosis. Acarbose, an α-glucosidase inhibitor, was shown in the placebo-controlled prospective study to prevent noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (STOP-NIDDM) trial to reduce the risk of diabetes by 36% in IGT subjects. This article reports on a placebo-controlled subgroup analysis of the STOP-NIDDM study to examine the efficacy of acarbose to slow progression of intima-media thickness (IMT) in subjects with IGT.