JUST THE FACTS: SCT/Sickle Cell Trait ==> "People with Diabetes and Sickle Cell Trait Should Have Reliable A1C Test"

[RadiantSue]

Source: NIH (National Institutes of Health) Web site nih.gov/news-events/news-re...

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

ARTICLE TITLE: "People with Diabetes and Sickle Cell Trait Should Have Reliable A1C Test"

QUOTE #1: ""In the United States, more than 3,000 labs rely on 20 different methods to measure A1C in people with diabetes," says Randie Little, Ph.D., who heads the NGSP. "However, six of these methods yield unreliable results in patients with sickle cell trait. Health care professionals caring for people with diabetes should know that specific A1C tests should be used in this group of patients.""

QUOTE #2: "The A1C test is not used in diabetes patients with sickle cell anemia due to the shortened life span of red blood cells."

QUOTE #3: "In diabetes patients of African, Mediterranean, or southeast Asian descent, several situations may suggest the presence of a hemoglobin variant:

an A1C result does not correlate with results of self blood glucose monitoring

an A1C result is different than expected or radically differs from a previous test result after a change in lab A1C methods

an A1C result is more than 15 percent.

"If you see a significant discrepancy between a patient’s A1C reading and the results of routine blood glucose monitoring, consider the possibility that your patient may have a hemoglobin variant and find out if your lab is using an accurate method to measure A1C," advises NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D."