London, January 04: Hemoglobin A1c (A1c) is a faster and easier diagnostic test to detect diabetic patients, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) report says.
The A1c test, which measures average blood glucose levels for a period of up to 3 months, was previously only used to evaluate diabetic control over time.
According to the guideline recently released by ADA, HbA1c is a better test to identify undiagnosed individuals already suffering from prediabetes or diabetes.
“We believe that use of the A1c, because it doesn’t require fasting, will encourage more people to get tested for type 2 diabetes and help further reduce the number of people who are undiagnosed but living with this chronic and potentially life-threatening disease,” said ADA president-elect of medicine and science Richard M. Bergenstal.
He stressed that the early detection of the condition is not only important in preventing disease and its complications but also in improving the quality of life in affected individuals.
For optimal diabetic control, the recommended ADA target for most diabetics is an A1c level no greater than 7%. As for detecting the condition, a cutoff point of 6.5% is considered, said the guideline to be published in the January supplement of Diabetes Care.
—Agencies