title: [Approach to the changes of HbA1c notation in health checkups].
abstract: The Committee on the Standardization of Diabetes Mellitus-Related Laboratory Testing of the Japan Diabetes Society (JSD) released "International clinical harmonization of hemoglobin A1c in Japan: From JDS to NGSP values". In the document, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, related academic societies, manufacturers and others, and the council meeting of JDS finally decided to use NGSP values in clinical practice from April 1, 2012. They also decided to use the JDS value as usual at specific health checkups and in specific health guidance for one year since the conversion of a great number of digital data needs a lot of time and is costly, and the conversion influences assessment systems markedly. As soon as the document was released, our laboratory (commercial laboratory) noticed that clients at clinics, hospitals and health checkup institutions were aware of the change (or no change) of the HbA1c notation. Subsequently, we set up analysis equipment to output the NGSP value and altered the settings of the laboratory information system to convert the JDS value from the NGSP value. In fact, the health checkup institutions took only the JDS value and the clinics and hospitals took the NGSP and JDS values together. In October 2012, JDS decided that only the NGSP value should be used at specific health checkups and in specific health guidance from April 1, 2013. In conclusion, the performance of international harmonization of HbA1c in Japan was considered to be of great significance.
authors.affiliation: Operation Division, MECOM CO. LTD., Yokohama 220-0004, Japan. mecom-aoki@space.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoki
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D015980:Public Health Practice
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human