Most youth with type 1 diabetes don't meet HbA1c goals

(HealthDay)—Most children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values above target levels, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Diabetes Care.

Jamie R. Wood, M.D., from the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and colleagues assessed the proportion of youth meeting targets for HbA1c, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) using data from 13,316 participants in the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry younger than 20 years old with type 1 diabetes for at least one year.

The researchers found that 64, 43, and 21 percent of participants met the American Diabetes Association HbA1c targets of <8.5 percent for those younger than 6 years, <8.0 percent for those age 6 to younger than 13 years old, and <7.5 percent for those age 13 to younger than 20 years old, respectively. Most participants met the blood pressure and lipid targets, and two-thirds met the goal of <85th percentile for BMI.

"Despite advances in technologies and strategies for care, achieving HbA1c targets remains a significant challenge for the majority of youth in the T1D Exchange registry. Moreover, a large number of youth with diabetes already have additional vascular disease risk factors at a young age," the authors write. "This analysis suggests further transformations to improve pediatric diabetes care are needed to prevent future complications of diabetes."

One author disclosed receiving consultant payments from Medtronic.