HbA1c screening reduces diabetes diagnosis delay in middle-aged adults

Latest research shows that HbA1c screening in middle-aged adults can help diagnose diabetes two years faster than routine clinical care.

These findings show that HbA1c screening can prevent individuals living with undiagnosed diabetes.

A team of academics studied the HbA1c of UK Biobank participants aged between 40 and 70 years old and compared it to primary and secondary healthcare data.

Based on HbA1c levels at UK Biobank enrolment, 1,703 adults were living with undiagnosed diabetes, the study has reported.

The results state: “These participants represented an additional 13 per cent of diabetes cases in the study population.

“The median time to clinical diagnosis for those with undiagnosed diabetes was 2.2 years, with a median HbA1c at clinical diagnosis of 58.2 mmol/mol (IQR 51.0–80.0) (7.5% [6.8–9.5]).”

According to the findings, females with lower HbA1c and BMI measurements at enrolment experienced the longest delay to clinical diagnosis.

The entire study is availablehere.