The widespread availability of glycated haemoglobin measurement has been one of the major advances in diabetes care in the last 20 years. Many different methodologies are available, with different reference ranges and differing reporting protocols. This lack of standardization has limited the value and interpretation of the results, in terms of estimating an individual’s risk of complications of diabetes, the setting of service standards, comparative clinical audit and service benchmarking, and clinical research. The clinical importance of standardizing HbA1c measurement was recently considered by representatives of the Association of Clinical Biochemists, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists, British Diabetic Association, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of General Practitioners. It is hoped that the following agreed consensus will allow initial harmonization of HbA1c results within the UK.
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