Pass on HbA1c for Detecting Diabetes in Adolescents

HbA_1c did not perform as well as traditional measures for diagnosing diabetes mellitus in high-risk adolescents.

In 2009, an international committee of diabetes experts recommended that glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) replace fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour plasma glucose levels for diagnosing diabetes mellitus in adolescents and adults. The committee and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) also recommend HbA_1c testing for screening asymptomatic overweight and obese adolescents. However, the recommended HbA_1c cutoffs were derived from data from adults. Therefore, investigators examined the accuracy of the recommended HbA_1c cutoff value of ≥6.5% for diagnosis of diabetes in 1156 asymptomatic overweight and obese adolescents (age range, 12–18 years) who participated in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES 1999–2006…

Reviewing Author

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Pass on HbA_1c for Detecting Diabetes in Adolescents

Topics

Reviewing Author