To What Extent Is HbA1c Associated with Glycemic Variability in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes? A Retrospective,
Sandra Lazar1,2,3, Ioana Ionita1,2,4, Delia Reurean-Pintilei3,5
1First Department of Internal Medicine, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
Background:
Glycemic variability (GV) is a novel parameter used in evaluating the quality of diabetes management. Current guidelines recommend the use of GV indexes alongside the traditional parameter to evaluate glycemic control: hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). This study aims to evaluate the extent to which HbA1c explains the GV phenomena in patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM).
Methods:
In 147 patients with T1DM, associations between HbA1c and several GV indexes were analyzed.
Results:
Patients with an HbA1c < 7% had a lower median standard deviation of glycemia (60 vs. 48; p < 0.001), a lower coefficient of variation (34.1 vs. 38.0; p < 0.001), and a significantly increased median time in range (78 vs. 58; p < 0.001). HbA1c was positively correlated with the coefficient of variation (r = 0.349; p < 0.001) and the standard deviation (r = 0.656; p < 0.001) but reversely correlated with a lower time in range (r = -0.637; p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
HbA1c only partially explains the GV phenomena in patients with T1DM. The HbA1c value is associated more strongly with the time in range and standard deviation than with the coefficient of variation.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon
Variability: Analysis
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...


