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Researchers develop criteria for prediabetes diagnosis

Category: Diabetes

Blood testing is the only way to diagnose a person with diabetes or prediabetes. However, there has been much disagreement over exactly what categorizes a person as having the latter condition. This has implications for the delivery of preventative services.

Now, a new study out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more clearly defines what classifies a person as having prediabetes based on the cost-effectiveness of delivering treatments.

The paper says that prediabetes is defined as having HbA1c test scores at 5.7 percent. This is lower than previous classifications, which means that more people would receive treatments. This may involve higher initial costs, but the researchers said that treating more people could prevent many from progressing to full-blown diabetes, which could save in the long run.

"This is the first study to examine the population-level impact and cost effectiveness of using alternative HbA1c cutoffs to determine eligibility for type 2 diabetes preventive interventions," said lead researcher Xiaohui Zhuo.

The findings could help clarify which individuals require treatment and prevent many people from developing worse conditions.