[Glycosylated hemoglobin and clinical evaluation of the degree of diabetes control. Relation to blood sugar, blood cholesterol, blood triglycerides, and the duration of diabetes and retinopathy. Study of 85 diabetic children and adolescents].

The measurement of HbA1 gives an "objective" estimate of the degree of metabolic control of diabetes during the erythrocyte lifespan. 333 assays in 85 young diabetics aged three to twenty-three years showed a mean HbA1 of 10.9 +/- 2.6% (controls: 7.4 +/- 1.4%). HbA1 levels parallel the clinical evaluation of the degree of control. HbA1 concentrations are correlated with the duration of diabetes (r = 0.26; p less than 0.001), triglyceridemia (r = 0.22; p less than 0.001), cholesterolemia (r = 0.26; p less than 0.001) and glycemia (r = 0.50; p less than 0.001). The HbA1 glycemia correlation grows stronger as glycemia increases. This probably reflects the existence of a labile form of HbA1. HbA1 concentrations measured repeatedly over one year were not significantly different in diabetics with and without retinopathy, probably because the study period was too short. Measurement of HbA1 is also of value in diagnosing non-compliance.