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HbA1c is not appropriate for the diagnosis of diabetes, prediabetes

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SAN FRANCISCO — Here at ENDO 2013, William Herman, MD, MPH, professor of endocrinology and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, made the argument against using HbA1c to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes during a symposia titled “Diagnosing Diabetes: Benefits and Drawbacks of Glucose vs. HbA1c.”

HbA1c may be systematically biased relative to the true level of glycemia in individual patients, making it an inappropriate tool to diagnose diabetes, Herman said. However, he added that HbA1c may be appropriate under the following circumstances: if it is convenient, the patient is fasting and if the clinician understands the factors that may affect the interpretation of the HbA1c level.