Hba1c is a Useful Diagnostic Test in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Sensitivity and Specificity of Hba1c Compared to Fasting Plasma Glucose and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Diabetes mellitus is a global epidemic and the most common non-communicable disease that affect more than 150 million people world-wide. It has become epidemic in a number of countries in Asian-Pacific region. In Malaysia the prevalence of diabetes has steadily increased over the years. Kelantan is one of the states in Malaysia has shown that the prevalence of diabetes was 10.5%. The usefulness of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in the screening and diagnosis of diabetes has been widely debated, and it is criticized primarily for its lack of sensitivity and for the confounding aspects of assay and reference-range standardization and of inadequate quality control. Indeed large epidemiological studies have suggested that HbA1c testing is less sensitive than fasting plasma glucose(FPG) measurement in terms of its diagnostic capabilities. However data from the study by Perry et al in 2001 which was obtained in a well defined at risk population, and data from previous reports obtained in more general populations indicate that the combination of FPG and HbA1c measurement is more predictive than either parameters alone.