Common diabetes test may be ineffective in children

HbA1c testing is the most common method for diagnosing diabetes and determining if a patient requires a prescription to buy Actos. However, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan is now questioning the efficacy of this procedure.

The investigators reported in the journal Diabetes Care that the test provides unreliable results in children. The findings run counter to recommendations for diabetes diagnosis from the American Diabetes Association.

For the study, the team administered a number of tests, including HbA1c tests, to 254 overweight adolescents. The results showed that HbA1c testing missed many cases, compared to other testing methods. In fact, the procedure failed to spot two out every three individuals who were diagnosed through other methods.

The researchers said their findings indicate that it may be time to adjust recommendations for diabetes diagnosis in children, as HbA1c testing may not be the gold standard that the medical community formerly viewed it as.

"We found that Hemoglobin A1c is not as reliable a test for identifying children with diabetes or children at high risk for diabetes compared with other tests in children," said Joyce M. Lee, who led the investigation.