Is the Current Cut Point for Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) Correct for Diagnosing Diabetes Mellitus in Premenopausal Women? Evidence to Inform Discussion.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Women are on average diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at later age than men but have higher mortality. As the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is primarily based on HbA1c, the use of a non-specific reference range and cut point for diabetes mellitus that does not account for gender differences in diabetes could potentially lead to underdiagnosis of diabetes mellitus in women and missed opportunities for intervention. We investigated whether a contributing factor to the later diagnosis in women may be a difference in distribution of HbA1c in premenopausal women versus men of the same age by comparing HbA1c values in men and women across multiple sites in the UK.

Methods

We analysed the HbA1c levels of 146,907 individuals who underwent single testing only and had Hb

SUBMITTER: Holland D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10786809 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature