Comparison Between HPLC and Immunoturbidimetry for Glycated Hemoglobin (A1c) Measurement as a Diagnostic Criterion for Diabetes Mellitus

The document compares High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Immunoturbidimetry (IT) for measuring glycated hemoglobin (A1c) levels, crucial for diagnosing diabetes mellitus. The study involved 416 individuals, divided into three groups based on A1c levels: 198 with A1c <5.7%, 110 with A1c between 5.7% and 6.4%, and 108 with A1c ≥6.5%. It found no significant difference between the two methods for A1c levels below 5.7%. However, for the prediabetes and diabetes groups, HPLC reported systematically higher A1c levels by 2.4% and 2.6%, respectively, compared to IT. This suggests HPLC may lead to earlier diagnosis of prediabetes and diabetes due to higher A1c values. The study highlights the need for individualized approaches and accurate laboratory results in diabetes diagnosis and monitoring.