Abnormal Glucose and Variant Hemoglobin Status in Sub-Saharan Africans

In a group of 216 U.S.-based Africans, researchers analyzed the sensitivities of 1) FPG ≥5.6 mmol/L, 2) A1C ≥ 5.7% (39 mmol/mol), and 3) FPG combined with A1C (FPG ≥5.6 mmol/L and/or A1C ≥5.7% [39 mmol/mol]) for the detection of abnormal glucose tolerance in a population prone to sickle-cell anemia and other variant hemoglobinopathies. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 216 African immigrants (68% male, age 37 ± 10 years [mean ± SD], range 20–64 years). No significant difference in sensitivity of A1C by variant hemoglobin status was detected. For the diagnosis of abnormal glucose tolerance in Africans, the sensitivity of A1C combined with FPG is significantly superior to either test alone. Diabetes Care February 2015 vol. 38 no. 2 213-219