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An A1c as Low as 5.4% Can Mask Undiagnosed Diabetes in Some High-Risk People
The article reinforces an increasing trend among healthcare professionals toward using the A1c as the primary tool for detecting type 2 diabetes.
An article in Endocrine Today presents some interesting findings regarding A1c's, including the fact that even a relatively low A1c of 5.4% may not preclude undiagnosed diabetes in high-risk individuals.
A five-year study (1999-2004) led by the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine tracked 6,723 patients who had not been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. (The presence of undiagnosed diabetes was defined as a fasting plasma glucose of 126 mg/dL or greater.)
Before conducting the study, the researchers "stratified" subjects into three risk groups: low, moderate, and high. Subjects in the high-risk group included older persons, men, blacks, and people with hypertension, large waist sizes, elevated triglycerides, and low HDL.
The study yielded the following conclusions:
- A1c's of at least 6.1% in "at-risk" individuals are likely indicators of undiagnosed diabetes.
- Although A1c's of 5.5% or lower in high-risk patients pretty much rule out the presence of undiagnosed diabetes, researchers found that an A1c as low as 5.4% could still signal the disease in people with a combination of risk factors.
- A1c's of less than 6.1% in moderate-risk patients usually rule out the presence of undiagnosed diabetes.
Study leader Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of surgery at the university's division of emergency medicine, said that A1c testing can be an effective way to identify undiagnosed diabetes in at-risk patients.
His comment reinforces an increasing trend among endocrinologists and other medical specialists to favor the A1c test for detecting type 2 diabetes, rather than current "moment-in-time" tests that rely heavily on patients' adherence to fasting requirements.
Categories: A1c Test, Diabetes, Diabetes, Type 2 Issues
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Oct 13, 2008
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Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
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