HbA1c as a screening tool for detection of Type 2 diabetes: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: To assess the validity of glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as a screening tool for early detection of Type 2 diabetes. Methods: Systematic review of primary cross-sectional studies of the accuracy of HbA1c for the detection of Type 2 diabetes using the oral glucose tolerance test as the reference standard and fasting plasma glucose as a comparison. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. At certain cut-off points, HbA1c has slightly lower sensitivity than fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in detecting diabetes, but slightly higher specificity. For HbA1c at a Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and UK Prospective Diabetes Study comparable cut-off point of ≥ 6.1%, the sensitivit..