Effect of the method to measure levels of glycated hemoglobin on individual clinical decisions: comparison of an immunoassay with high-performance liquid chromatography.
Our objective was to compare in a prospective study the clinical performance of the reference and an alternative method to measure blood levels of glycated hemoglobin. A total of 178 samples from patients with diabetes were tested by both methods, and results were analyzed for correlation and comparison of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values to classify patients according to glycemic control. There was a significant linear correlation between methods (r = 0.645; P < .0001); the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the alternative method to identify patients with controlled and uncontrolled status were as follows: controlled, 88%, 78%, 77%, and 88%; and uncontrolled, 78%, 88%, 88%, and 77%, respectively. Results show that although the results of both methods show a statistically significant correlation, the ability of the alternative method to correctly classify individual patients according to glycemic control status is far from optimal.
García-Alcalá
Héctor
H
Faculty of Medicine, UPAEP University, Puebla, PUE 72530, México.
Ruiz-Argüelles
Alejandro
A
Cedillo-Carvallo
Beatriz
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human