[Haemoglobin AIc (HbAIc) and juvenile-onset diabetes]

HbAIc was determined in 20 children with juvenile-onset diabetes and in 15 healthy control children of a similar age group. HbAIc was 10.2 +/- 1.6% (mean +/- SD) of the total haemoglobin in the diabetic patients and 6.3 +/- 0.5% (mean +/- SD) in the controls. This difference was significant (P less than 0.001). A linear correlation was found between HbAIc and mean glucosuria over a 6-week period prior to HbAIc determination (p less than 0.01). It is concluded that HbAIc determination might be an important indicator of diabetic control and of the response to therapeutic measures since it represents an integrated gauge of blood glucose concentrations over several weeks.