When you were diagnosed with diabetes (or prediabetes), did your
doctor do a fingerstick blood test in his office, or give you a
fasting plasma glucose test? Or did he make the diagnosis based
on your HbA1c level? Although some doctors are already using
HbA1c test results as a diagnostic tool, you may be surprised to
know that there are currently no official guidelines for doing
so. However, that may be about to change. The HbA1c test — a
measure of blood glucose levels over 2–3 months that is usually
used to assess how well a person is managing his diabetes — may
soon be used officially to diagnose Type 2 diabetes as well.
Earlier this month, the American Diabetes Association announced
that a group of several leading diabetes organizations will
publish guidelines in the next six months on using the HbA1c
test as a diagnostic tool. Such a consensus statement is
necessary because right now there is no agreement on what HbA1c
level would constitute a diagnosis of diabetes. Most people who
don’t have diabetes ha