Random blood glucose as an alternative to glycated hemoglobin for assessing glycemic control in diabetes mellitus patients. Cross-sectional study in Babylon province, Iraq

Background: Diabetes affected 171 million people worldwide one and a half decades ago, and 366 million people are expected by 2030. The relationship between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and diabetes complications was established, emphasizing the importance of good glycemic management. However, due to its high cost, the HbA1c test is considered to be not affordable or not available. The high incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its more risky comorbidities in most populations necessitate the requirement for regarding an alternative test. Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess if there is a relationship between HbA1c and random glucose levels in DM patients. Subjects and Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional study that comprised 106 known type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Participants were regarded as having good glycemic control when HbA1c < 8%, whereas those with HbA1c ≥8% were regarded as having uncontrolled diabetes. Results: Correlation analyses revealed significant direct correlations between HbA1c and RBG (r = 0.47, P<0.01). Conclusions: RBG was directly correlated with HbA1c and may be utilized to indicate glycemic control in patients with DM when the accessible to HbA1c test is difficult or not available.