Is Haemoglobin A1c a step forward in the diagnosis of diabetes?

This article discusses the pros and cons of utilizing haemoglobin A1c for the diagnosis of diabetes as recommended by the recent consensus statement from the ADA,EASD and IDF.The authors acknowledge the benifits of the shift to haemoglobin A1c while highlighting the potential pittfalls of this strategy related to haemoglobinpathies, conditions of shortend red cell survival and standardization.http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/339/nov10_1/b4432