Accuracy of fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c testing for the early detection of diabetes: A pilot study

Diabetes, often referred as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism because of the defects in insulin releasing, insulin action, or both. The most common form of diabetes mellitus is type 2 diabetes which is a worldwide chronic disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) testing for the early detection of diabetes and to evaluate the correlation between FPG and HbA1c as a biomarker for diabetes in the general population in Hong Kong. This study also observed and assessed the risk of diabetes by comparing different genders and ages in Hong Kong.

A retrospective study was undertaken and the data was collected in the database of a HOKLAS (The Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme) clinical laboratory from 200 diabetic and non-diabetic patients (83 females and 117 males, age ranged from 20 to 90) who attended the laboratory during January 2016 to February 2016 for both FPG and HbA1c measurements.

A significant correlation between HbA1c and FPG (r² = 0.713, p < 0.05) was observed in this study. Moreover, patients detected as diabetes in age groups 45–64, 65–74 and ≥75 years old were 2.5, 3 and 6 times respectively higher than that of the diabetic individuals under 45 years old.

In conclusion, FPG was significantly correlated with HbA1c and a significant increase in FPG and HbA1c in male was observed by comparing with female. Furthermore, the incidence rate of diabetes mellitus in male was 3 times higher than that in female in Hong Kong and it progressed with increasing age. Further longer term and large scale research in each age group is warranted.