Korean J Med.  2010 Dec;79(6):673-680.

Acceptability of HbA1c values as a diagnostic tool for diabetes mellitus in Korea

• Jung JH
• Kim ST
• Cho YZ
• Lee HN
• Kim JY
• Kim JH
• Lim DM
• Lee KW
• Kim BJ
• Park KY

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
In 2010, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) adopted glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a new diagnostic criterion for diabetes mellitus. However, HbA1c values may differ among races. We determined whether this criterion could be applied to Korean diabetics.
METHODS
Between January 2000 and January 2010, 1,862 patients among Konyang University Hospital visitors in which the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HbA1c were checked at the same time were enrolled. We excluded patients with acute disease, an Hb < or = 10 g/dL, a Cr > or = 2 mg/dL, those prescribed oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin, and those who were pregnant.
RESULTS
After applying the exclusion criteria, 1,474 Korean patients were enrolled. All had common features of Korean diabetics for body mass index and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance values. Using the 0 and 120 minute glucose levels of the OGTT from the receiver operating characteristic curve, the HbA1c cutoff value was 6.25%. The cutoff value to diagnose diabetes with the presence of diabetic retinopathy was 6.75%.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed a difference between the HbA1c values for diagnosing diabetes and the new diagnostic criterion from the ADA. Considering that the HbA1c characteristics may be influenced by race or culture, larger studies on diabetes complications are needed to identify the appropriate HbA1c value for Korean diabetics.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus; Diagnosis; Glycated hemoglobin

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Body Mass Index
Continental Population Groups
Diabetes Complications
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetic Retinopathy
Glucose
Glucose Tolerance Test
Hemoglobins
Humans
Hypoglycemic Agents
Insulin
Insulin Resistance
Korea
ROC Curve
Glucose
Hemoglobins
Hypoglycemic Agents
Insulin