Utility of HbA1c Levels for Diabetes Case Finding in Hospitalized Patients With Hyperglycemia

In acutely ill patients with random hyperglycemia at hospital admission, an HbA(1c) >6.0% reliably diagnoses diabetes, and an HbA(1c) level <5.2% reliably excludes it (paralleling the operating characteristics of the standard fasting glucose measurements); however, the rapidity of the HbA(1c) level can be useful for diabetes case finding and treatment initiation early in the hospital course.