Warning over using HbA1c alone to diagnose diabetes
Oral glucose tolerance test is much better at case-finding, study shows
Diagnosing type 2 diabetes on the basis of a single HbA1c test will miss nearly three-quarters of people with the disease, according to results announced at a major conference.
Presenting to delegates at the US Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans, Dr Maria Chang Villacreses said that compared to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), 73% of people with diabetes would be missed if diagnoses were made on the basis of an HbA1c test alone.
