Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Mean Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c
Main finding · HbA1c for a given mean glucoseResult — go to the resultDifference in mean HbA1c 0.33 percentage points 95% CI 0.23–0.44Authors' conclusion
For African American patients, A1C results may overestimate glycemia and could lead to premature diabetes diagnoses, overtreatment, or invalid assessments of health disparities. However, most of the variability in the mean glucose-A1C association was within racial/ethnic groups.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with diabetes from Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) who used continuous glucose monitor (CGM) devices during 2016 to 2021; 5264 HbA1c results, mean glucose from 124,388,901 CGM readings in the 90 days before each HbA1c5,264 HbA1c results
- Participants
- 1,788 patients
- Exposure
- Racial/ethnic groups vs White patients
- Outcome
- Racial/ethnic differences in the association between CGM-based mean glucose and HbA1c
- Follow-up
- 90 days before each HbA1c result
Methodological detailshierarchical mixed models
- Hierarchical mixed models
Main finding
HbA1c for a given mean glucose
Difference in mean HbA1c
0.33 percentage points
95% CI 0.23–0.44
P < 0.0001
African Americanvs White
difference in mean HbA1c 0.33 percentage points (95% CI 0.23–0.44); P < 0.0001
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Slope of mean glucose–HbA1c association
- Slope did not differ significantly across racial/ethnic groups
Variance of mean glucose–HbA1c association
- Variance within groups
- 65%
- Variance between racial/ethnic groups
- 9%
Original publication
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Mean Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c. Diabetes Technol Ther. Published 2 August 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →