A recent study has shown that people with sickle cell trait (SCT) have lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels than those without at the same blood glucose level. HbA1c is routinely used as a determining factor by physicians in diabetic patients. In the current study, HbA1c level for any given blood glucose level was significantly lower in participants with than without SCT for both fasting glucose and 2-hour glucose tests, and after accounting for other contributing factors. Because of this, HbA1c was less accurate for detecting fasting glucose-defined prediabetes or diabetes in people with SCT, compared with those without SCT.
It is also observed that patients are unaware of their SCT status and hence HbA1c may not be the best parameter to measure without considering SCT status. Source: JAMA, 2017. In your opinion, do these results have any clinical implications?
