Experts' warning for diabetic patients that results cannot be determined by HBA1C alone (file photo)
Digital Desk, New Delhi. If you blindly trust the HbA1c test for diabetes, then be careful because in a country like India, it is not certain that this test will give correct results every time.
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal, said that in a country like India, where anemia and some genetic blood diseases are more common, the results of this test can fluctuate. Due to this, sometimes there can be a delay of up to four years in diagnosing diabetes.
Women and rural population may especially have to bear the brunt of this. It is noteworthy that HbA1c test shows what was the average blood sugar of a person in the last 2-3 months. Generally, less than 5.7 percent is considered normal, 5.7 to 6.4 is considered pre-diabetes, and 6.5 percent or more is considered diabetes.
But in people who have anemia or congenital blood related diseases, this test may give different results from the actual sugar level. The research, led by Professor Anup Mishra and colleagues, questions the sole reliance on HbA1c to diagnose or monitor type 2 diabetes in South Asia.
Researchers say that if doctors rely only on this one test, then in many patients diabetes may be diagnosed late or may even be wrong. Changes in age and number of red blood cells also affect the report.
Experts warn that iron deficiency is very common in many areas of India, which can cause HbA1c levels to appear higher than they actually are. Also, in people with certain enzyme deficiencies, the diagnosis of diabetes may be delayed for many years. The quality of tests is also not the same in different labs, which can increase confusion.
Don't rely on just one test
Research has advised not to depend on just one test to diagnose diabetes. As per need, oral glucose tolerance test, sugar checking at home and other blood tests should also be done.
Options like continuous sugar monitoring machines can also be useful in big hospitals. The conclusion is that where anemia and blood related problems are high, combining several types of tests is a safer and more reliable way to accurately identify diabetes.
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