Glucose Intolerance occurs frequently in patients with spinal cord injuries. Also, glucose intolerance in many SCI patients is characterized by hyperinsulinemia after glucose loading orally or intravenously.

The present approach undertook to investigate the glucose intolerance of chronic SCI patients by retrospective chart analysis of 60 consecutive discharges from the Korea Veterans Hospital, and by the screening test of a group of stable chronic SCI 19 cases.

The results are as follows;

1) In a retrospective chart analysis, 23% of 60 discharges had hyperglycemia and 33% of 12

discharges had postprandial 2 hours hyperglycemia exceeding 200mg/dl.

2) In a screening test, 10% of 19 stable SCI patients had fasting hyperglycemia and 58% had 2-hour glucose values exceeding 200 mg/dl after glucose 100 mg loading orally.

3) 54% of a group of stable SCI patients 13 cases with glucose intolerance had elevated insulin level, suggesting resistance to endogenous insulin.

4) The resistance in insulin resistant group was not due to abnormalities in glucagon secretion.