American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology statement on the use of hemoglobin A1c for the diagnosis of diabetes

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have evaluated the role of hemoglobin A1c (A1C) for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association 2010 Clinical Practice Recommendations endorse the use of A1C of 6.5% or higher as the primary criterion for the diagnosis of diabetes. Such testing does not require the patient to be fasting, can be done at any time that a clinical visit is scheduled, is simpler to perform than the 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, and is less dependent on the patient's health status at the time a blood sample is obtained. AACE/ACE do not endorse A1C criteria for prediabetes or for those patients at risk for diabetes. AACE/ACE do support an A1C of 5.5% to 6.4% as a screening test for prediabetes if it leads to measurement of a fasting glucose level or performance of a glucose tolerance test for diagnosis.