HbA_1c May Soon Be Top Diabetes Diagnostic Test

The fact that an HbA_1c cut point for diagnosis has still not been set highlights the controversy this issue generates. A cut point of 6.5% has “some useful properties,” he acknowledged, but 5.5% is “a level to raise concern” that a person is at risk for eventually developing diabetes. Choosing a cut point “is a complicated issue that depends on how harmful are missed diagnoses and overdiagnosis,” he said.

In contrast, Dr. Davidson, who is not a member of the current Expert Committee although he served on it in the past, leans toward a cut point of 7.0% because of its significance for microvascular disease.

Since HbA_1c doesn't require fasting, the hope is that more people will get tested and diagnosed early. DR. KIRKMAN