Abstract
Recommendations exist that fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels can be substituted for glycosylated haemoglobin A, (HbA,) in Type II diabetic subjects (DM II), which have potential important financial implications. The present study was designed to expand this examination and to include Type I DM (DMI) patients and random blood glucose (RBG) values. Data were obtained from 234 DM II and 104 DM I patients, over 3 years. Correlation of HbA1 with FPG levels in DM II yielded an r value of 0.61. Correlation of HbA, with RBG and 2 h post prandial glucose measurements yielded r values of 0.59 and 0.51 respectively, p<0.001. In DM I, similar correlations gave r values ranging between 0.27 and 0.38, p<0.01-0.001.
Thus while significant correlations exist between HbA1 and FPG and RBG measurements in both DM I and DM II, clinically applicable information on long-term diabetic control can only be achieved from glucose measurements in DM II but the correlation is not sufficiently tight to recommend substitution of plasma glucose for HbA1 determinations, despite the cost advantages.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Koenig, R. J., Peterson, C. M., Jones, R. L., Saudek, C., Lehrman, M., Cerami, A. Correlation of glucose regulation and haemoglobin Ale in diabetes mellitus. N. Engl. J. Med. 1976: 295, 417–20.
Goldstein, D. E. Is glycosylated haemoglobin clinically useful? N. Engl. J. Med. 1984: 310, 384–5.
Pecoraro, R. E., Koepsell, T. D., Chen, M. S., Lipsky, B. A., Balcher, D. W., Inui, T. S. Comparative clinical reli- ability of fasting plasma glucose in glycosylated haemoglobin in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 1986: 9, 370–5.
Santiago, J. V., Davis J. E., Fisher, F. Haemoglobin Alc levels in a diabetes detection program. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1978:47, 578–80.
McCance, D. R., Ritchie, C. M., Kennedy, L. Is HbA1 measurement superfluous in NIDDM? Diabetes Care 1988:11, 512–4.
Jovanovic, L., Peterson, C. M. The clinical utility of glycosylated haemoglobin. Am. J. Med. 1981:70, 331–8.
Cederholm, J., Ronguist, G., Wibell, L. Comparison of glycosylated haemoglobin with the oral glucose tolerance test. Diabete et Metabolisme 1984: 10, 324–9.
Paisey, R. B., Bradshaw, P., Hartog, M. Home blood glucose concentrations in maturity onset diabetes. Br. Med. J. 1980:280, 596–8.
Morria, M. A., Grandis, A. S., Litton, J. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1985: 153, 257–60.
Hermensson, G., Ludrigsson, J., Larsson, Y. Home blood glucose monitoring in diabetic children and adolescents. Acta. Paediatr. Scand. 1986: 75, 98–105.
Wolfenbuttel, B. H. R., Sels, J.-P. J. E., Jungbaurer, F. H. W., Menheere, P. P. C. A., Nieuwenhuijzen Krauseman, A. C. The value of fasting blood glucose and serum fructosamine in the evaluation of metabolic control in NIDDM patients. Diab. Nutr. Metab. 1991: 4, 297–303.
Montwill, J., Cunningham, S., Martin, N., Briscoe, M., Wright, E., McKenna T. J. Relationship of different methods utilised to measure the same and different fragments of glycosylated haemoglobin. J. Biomed. Sci. 1993: 4, 17–21.
Trinder, P. Determination of glucose in blood using glucose oxidase with an alternative oxygen acceptor. Ann.Clin. Biochem. 1969: 6, 24–27.
Dolan, M., Clarke, H., Bulger, K., Heffernan, A., McKenna, T. J. Non-specialist nursing knowledge of diabetes management: assessment and education. Practical Diabetes 1987:4, 130–31.
Welborn, T. A., Knuiman, M., Davis, R. E., Stanton, K., McCann, V., Constable, I. Applying the correlation between glycosylated haemoglobin and plasma glucose levels. Diabetologia 1983: 24, 461–2.
Editorial. Haemoglobin A, and diabetes: a reappraisal. Brit. Med. J. 1980: 281, 1304–5.
Jialal, I., Joubert, S. M., Kendall, D. Fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels in the assessment of diabetic control in non-insulin dependent diabetes in the young. S. Afr. Med. J. 1982:62, 889–91.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prendergast, C., Smyth, O., Murray, F. et al. The relationship of blood glucose and haemoglobin A1 levels in diabetic subjects. I.J.M.S. 163, 233–235 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943257
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943257