title: Guidelines and recommendations for laboratory analysis in the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple laboratory tests are used in the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes mellitus. The quality of the scientific evidence supporting the use of these assays varies substantially.
  
  
  METHODS
  An expert committee drafted evidence-based recommendations for the use of laboratory analysis in patients with diabetes. An external panel of experts reviewed a draft of the guidelines, which were modified in response to the reviewers' suggestions. A revised draft was posted on the Internet and was presented at the AACC Annual Meeting in July, 2000. The recommendations were modified again in response to oral and written comments. The guidelines were reviewed by the Professional Practice Committee of the American Diabetes Association.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Measurement of plasma glucose remains the sole diagnostic criterion for diabetes. Monitoring of glycemic control is performed by the patients, who measure their own plasma or blood glucose with meters, and by laboratory analysis of glycated hemoglobin. The potential roles of noninvasive glucose monitoring, genetic testing, autoantibodies, microalbumin, proinsulin, C-peptide, and other analytes are addressed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The guidelines provide specific recommendations based on published data or derived from expert consensus. Several analytes are of minimal clinical value at the present time, and measurement of them is not recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Thorn 530, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115, USA. dsacks@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bruns
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Noel K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Maclaren
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parrott
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose