HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bryson, C. L Articles by Boyko, E. J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bryson, C. L Articles by Boyko, E. J

Review: glycated haemoglobin A_1c and fasting plasma glucose screening tests have similar sensitivities and specificities for early detection of type 2 diabetes

Clinical impact ratings GP/FP/Primary care IM/Ambulatory care Endocrine

Key Words: diabetes mellitus (type 2) • haemoglobin A (glycosylated) • blood glucose • glucose intolerance

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

METHODS
Data sources: Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1994 to September 2004), and bibliographies of relevant articles.

Study selection and assessment: English language cross-sectional studies that compared the HbA_1C test with the FPG test as screening tools for detecting type 2 diabetes, reported sensitivities and specificities using the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as the reference standard, and reported HbA_1c test results in a format compatible with that of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. 9 studies (n = 19 500, 13–92 y) published in 1998–2004 met the selection criteria; 4 studies were community-based, and 5 were hospital-based. Quality assessment of individual studies was based on the sampling frame and size, measurements of HbA_1c and FPG, adequacy of test descriptions, and 80% verification with OGTT.

Outcomes: sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios (LRs).

MAIN RESULTS
In 2 studies, receiver operating characteristic curves identified 5.9%, 6.1%, and 6.2% as optimal HbA_1c cut-points and 5.6 mmol/l . . . [Full text of this article]

Chris L Bryson, MD, MS, Edward J Boyko, MD, MPH

Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System,
Seattle, Washington, USA