Utilidad del índice HOMA-IR con una sola determinación de insulinemia para diagnosticar resistencia insulínica

introduction: homa-ir index is a simple and not much invasive procedure allowing by a validated and well established formula to specify exactly a value expression of insulin resistance. to estimate the homa-ir index with an only numerical value of insulinemia could to present a greater variability, something that could be solved with at least the mean of three insulinemias, according to original formula. en some studies it is habitual to perform it with a single insulinemia determination. thus, we conducted a study in patients presenting type 2 diabetes and to compare the results as regards the sensitivity and specificity with a single blood determination for insulinemia and glycemia. objectives: to assess the sensitivity and specificity of each of insulinemia determinations performed each 5 min versus the mean of these determinations during the application of formula for homa-ir index. methods: sixty patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes attended in the center for diabetic care of la habana were studied. they had a diabetes course time lower than 5 years as average with predominance of body excess weight recruited during 6 months in a consecutive way and the carrying out of fasting insulinemias and glycemias determinations by trocar and venous blood extraction at 0,5 and 10 min for a calculation of mathews's hemostatic model known as homa-ir. results: a 88,3 % had a homa-ir greater than 3,2. the sensitivity of a single sample of insulinemia, although high to confirm the insulin resistance diagnosis, it is variable and specificity of one of samples was low with a 14%. there is an appropriate concordance among the positive predictor values with sensitivity and the negative predictive values with the test specificity. conclusions: a single insulinemia determination to study homa-ir is useful in daily practice, although it is necessary much accuracy to apply the original formula for a better reproducibility.