GPs told to switch to HbA1c testing for diabetes diagnosis

[Northerner]

Exclusive: GPs are to be issued with new NHS guidelines this month requesting they use HbA1c testing for diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in a move Government research suggests will drive up the number of cases by a fifth.

Pulse has learned that the UK has decided to adopt World Health Organisation advice issued in March that GPs switch to use of HbA1c testing with a cut-off point of 6.5% for diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.a...71009&sp_rid=NjU3NzMyNzAyOQS2&sp_mid=36785136

(Free registration required, but worth doing as this is a very informative site)

Interesting that they are still talking in percentages, despite the fact that the new measurement units are supposed to have been in place for over a year!

 

[Mark T]

You might want to purge my duplicate of this news item Alan 🙂

The original WHO report "Use of Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) in the Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus " where they recommend the use of HbA1c can be found here: http://www.who.int/diabetes/publications/en/index.html

In the main 2006 report they say to avoid the use of HbA1c 🙄

 

[Northerner]

Cheers Mark - ;looks like we were posting at the same time! Thanks for the extra info.

 

[Blythespirit]

I was diagnosed by HbA1c in 2003. I've never had a GTT. My mum was diagnosed by a urine sample in the GP's surgery 24 years ago. 😱 XXXXX

 

[HartHen61]

Hba1c

Question; I know we all or most of us have been tested for Hba1c what does it really do, what do they call high or low, what is the normal number to aim for and why do they need to know these results?

 

[novorapidboi26]

tells us how much glucose is stuck to the hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, which gives us a good picture of how our blood sugar has been of the last 3 months (the life span of a blood cell).....

 

[Northerner]

Question; I know we all or most of us have been tested for Hba1c what does it really do, what do they call high or low, what is the normal number to aim for and why do they need to know these results?

It's a measure of how your levels have been over the 6-12 weeks prior to taking the test. Anything above 6.5% is considered higher than 'normal', as it is from this point that your risk of complications starts to increase (although there are some people who believe it should be even lower (6.0% or below), some who think it is OK to be a little higher (7.5%)). Having a result at this levels doesn't guarantee you won't get complications, nor does having a higher result, individuals vary. It's another indicator, as well as all your other tests, of how good your blood sugar control is. A non-diabetic person would normally be below 6.0%, but this can vary too - older people or from different ethnic backgrounds may be 'normal' at higher levels.

 

[Mark T]

I was flicking through the ADA position paper on diabetes diagnosis and I noticed this statement regarding starting preventative measures, aka the person has IFG or IGT

"For these reasons, the most appropriate A1C level above which to initiate preventive interventions is likely to be somewhere in the range of 5.5?6%."

Later on they setting on the level 5.7 mmol/L being the best compromise between false positives and false negatives.

 

[AlisonM]

Question; I know we all or most of us have been tested for Hba1c what does it really do, what do they call high or low, what is the normal number to aim for and why do they need to know these results?

My consultant told me the test establishes how 'sticky' your blood is. I'm not quite sure what that means exactly but it seems the higher the score the stickier your blood. I have noticed that when I'm running high my blood is much thicker than when I'm low.

According to Wiki the test measures plasma blood concentrations over an extended period of time and the preferred HbA1c is between 6.5% and 7%.