IS IT USEFUL A1C FOR DIAGNOSIS AND FOLLOW-UP OF DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2?

Aims: Analize the value given by physicians to the hemoglobin A1C (A1C) as a diagnosis tool and follow-up in type 2 Diabetes patients and their cut point levels for diagnosis and therapeutic targets according medical speciality. Methods: A self-administered survey was conducted including physicians who attended at the Argentine Diabetes Congress (2010). They were grouped by speciality: Nutrition, Diabetologists, Endocrinologists, Internal Medicine, Generalists Physician and other. Statistical analysis: descriptive statistics, Chi2 test, ANOVA (Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc). Software: MedCalc 2009. Results: 743 surveys, mean age 43,3+10,4 years. 69,3% female. A 32,9% of the surveyed physicians did not consider A1c useful for diagnostic purposes. The mean A1C cut point for diagnosis was 6,56 + 0,42%.; 25% of the surveyed considered A1C >7 as value for diagnosis. Objective treatment A1C 6,7 ± 0,43%, with no differences by group p = 0,79. The 72,5% said greater flexibility in target value in the elderly, CVD risk and hypoglycemia. The 87,9% A1C considered valuable to assess cardiovascular risk.