A1c Discordance in Diabetes Patients

Differences in Hemoglobin Glycation Rate in Diabete Mellitus Patients

HbA1c is used as a gold standard to see whether patients have optimal glycemic control. Today, many physicians rely solely on HbA1c to change medication. However, there is a select group of patients that have low average glucose levels but high HbA1c levels. The investigators believe that these patients are fast glycators meaning that they incorporate sugar into their hemoglobin faster than normal. The investigators want to determine whether these patients are fast glycators.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient with diabetes
• Patients who test their sugar levels at least 3 times daily
• Recorded diary of sugar levels for the past month
• Willingness to have blood drawn
• Willingness to allow their blood sugar diary to be photocopied
• Estimated average glucose as derived from A1c is ≥ 4 mmol from measured glucose from self-monitoring blood glucose testing

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient with medical conditions that may affect their study participation or results will be excluded.
• Patients who are anemic
• Renal insufficient with a serum creatinine level > 200 μmol/L