New blood test, better indicator of diabetes risk
POSTED March 5, 2010 - 14:02 | POSTED BY Abby Kapoor
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on March 5, 2010 - 15:22
The experts have found that a different sort of blood test, A1C test also known as a glycated hemoglobin test, measures long-term sugar control and is a superior screening tool for diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended using the A1c test to screen for diabetes in late 2009.
A1c test is not new it has been around since 1970s but current standardization made it useful as a screening tool not only to diagnose diabetes also identify people at risk of developing diabetes in the future, also known as "pre-diabetes.”
Details of the study
For the study, Elizabeth Selvin and team analyzed data of both tests in 11,000 adults screened with both tests, traditional fasting method and A1c method, which can be done any time.
The researchers compared the subjects with a normal A1c level of 5.0 percent to 5.5 percent and found the following results:
1. An A1c level of less than 5 percent means a 48 percent decreased risk of heart disease and the same risk of diabetes.
2. An A1c level of 5.5 percent - 6 percent means 23 percent higher risk of heart disease and 86 percent increased risk of diabetes.
3. An A1c level of 6.0 percent - 6.5 percent means 78 percent of higher risk of heart disease and 4.5 times increased risk of diabetes.
4. An A1c level of 6.5 percent or more means a two-fold higher risk of heart disease and 16.5 fold increased risk of diabetes.
The lead author of the study, Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA, said, "HbA1c has significant advantages over fasting glucose.”
Selvin said, "A1c was similarly associated with a risk of diabetes and more strongly associated with risks of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause as compared with fasting glucose."
Selvin says that this is convincing evidence that the A1C test is a superior for diagnosing diabetes and the latest results can help health professionals and patients interpret HbA1c test results.
The study has been published in the January issue of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) revised recommendations for the screening and diagnosis of diabetes.
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