Uncontrolled diabetes is associated with serious health problems including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy, and, as such, is a significant burden to the NHS. It is estimated that 8.6% of the adult population in England have diabetes, with this figure expected to rise to 9.7% by 2035.
In 2011 the World Health Organization recommended the use of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as a diagnostic test for diabetes, with levels ≥48 mmol/mol considered the cut-off. The increasing prevalence and the increased utility of the HbA1c test as a diagnostic tool has led to a dramatic increase in laboratory requests. Use of Beckman’s DxC 700 AU analyser has helped a laboratory on Teesside manage this increased demand, as Helen Verrill, Consultant Clinical Scientist at North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, will explain in the December issue of Pathology in Practice.
