title: Relationship of hemoglobin A1C with the presence and severity of retinopathy upon initial screening of Type II diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine a possible correlation specifically between hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1C) levels and the presence and severity of retinopathy during diabetic eye screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective medical record review of all new patients examined in a Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) diabetic screening clinic in 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and seven new patients were included in the study. Demographic data, HgbA1C levels, and grade of diabetic retinopathy were collected. The data analysis was performed via regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 607 cases, no correlation between severity of retinopathy and HgbA1C level was found. A very small statistical difference of HgA1C levels existed between groups with and without retinopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HgbA1C levels appeared to have little predictive value for presence/severity of retinopathy at initial screenings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA. april.maa@mail.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: April Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Maa
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin