CONCLUSIONS: A large initial HbA1c reduction and achievement of low HbA1c levels within 6 months after metformin initiation are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and death in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Source: Diabetes Care
HbA1c
HbA1c Racial Differences Complicate Diagnosis
Blacks generally have higher HbA1c levels than whites. Rates among Hispanics and Asians also tend to be higher than in whites, although the discrepancy has not been as well-studied in these groups, says University of Cincinnati professor of medicine Robert M. Cohen, MD.
Cardiovascular Biomarkers, Cardiac Dysfunction, and Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective, Multicenter Study
We report a lack of association between echocardiographic variables and laboratory biomarkers in a large population of type 2 diabetes patients without overt cardiac disease and mild alterations in LV function. The only laboratory marker found to predict 2-year outcomes in these patients was HbA1c. Neither the other laboratory markers (NT-proBNP, hsCRP, and UACR) nor echocardiographic markers provided independent prognostic information. The role of HbA1c as a guide for the appropriateness of treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes is supported by these findings.
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