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A falling HbA1c is not necessarily an indicator of improving diabetes control

K Wiener1

  • 1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, North Manchester General Hospital, UK. Keith.Wiener@mail.nmanhc-tr.nwest.nhs.uk

Annals of Clinical Biochemistry
|July 27, 2001
PubMed

The finding of a very low haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (1.4%) in a diabetic patient with fairly high plasma glucose levels prompted haematological investigations, which revealed auto-immune haemolysis and a Hb concentration of 7.7 g/L. Following treatment, both Hb and HbA1c concentrations increased roughly in parallel until, 4 months later, Hb was 13.8 g/L, HbA1c 5.2% and plasma glucose was 6.8 mmol/L. This case illustrates that a falling HbA1c cannot always be attributed to improving glucose control in diabetic patients.

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