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HbA1c in nondiabetic Dutch infants aged 8-12 months: the GECKO-Drenthe birth cohort study

Hanneke Jansen1, Haika G Huiting, Salome Scholtens

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. h.jansen@epi.umcg.nl

Diabetes Care
|January 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

This study describes normal hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in infants, finding a mean of 5.38% without association to diabetes risk factors. These findings are crucial for infant diabetes screening.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Clinical diagnostics
  • Public health

Background:

  • Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is recommended for diabetes diagnosis.
  • Normal HbA1c values in infants are not well-established.
  • Understanding infant HbA1c is vital for early diabetes detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the distribution of HbA1c in nondiabetic infants aged 8-12 months.
  • To establish reference ranges for infant HbA1c.
  • To investigate potential associations between risk factors and infant HbA1c.

Main Methods:

  • HbA1c was measured in 86 infants from the GECKO-Drenthe birth cohort.
  • Prospective data collection included questionnaires and anthropometric measurements.
  • Infants were confirmed to be nondiabetic.

Main Results:

  • HbA1c levels were normally distributed in the study population.
  • The mean HbA1c was 5.38% (SD 0.24), with a range of 4.8-6.0%.
  • No significant associations were found between HbA1c and age, sex, birth weight, breastfeeding, anthropometrics, or maternal BMI.

Conclusions:

  • A normal distribution of HbA1c was observed in 8- to 12-month-old infants.
  • The mean HbA1c level of 5.38% is relatively high.
  • No link was identified between common type 2 diabetes risk factors and infant HbA1c levels.
Abstract

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