HbA1c in Nondiabetic Dutch Infants Aged 8–12 Months

OBJECTIVE An international committee of experts recommended using HbA(1c) for diagnostic testing for diabetes. Little is known about normal values of HbA(1c) in infants. The aim of this study is to describe the distribution of HbA(1c) in 8- to 12-month-old nondiabetic infants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS HbA(1c) was measured in 86 infants participating in the Groningen Expert Center for Kids with Obesity (GECKO)-Drenthe birth cohort study. Anthropometric measurements were performed at Well Baby Clinics. Data on parents and children were collected prospectively using questionnaires. RESULTS HbA(1c) was normally distributed with a mean (SD) HbA(1c) level of 5.38% (0.24), range 4.8-6.0% or 35.29 mmol/mol (2.65), range 29.1-42.1 mmol/mol. Age, sex, birth weight, duration of breastfeeding, anthropometric measurements, and maternal BMI were not associated with HbA(1c). CONCLUSIONS We found a normal distribution of HbA(1c) with a relatively high mean HbA(1c) of 5.38%. No significant association between risk factors for type 2 diabetes and HbA(1c) levels was found.