Differences in Cardiovascular Risk Profile of Diabetic Subjects Discordantly Classified by Diagnostic Criteria Based on Glycated Hemoglobin and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects categorized differently by A1C- and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-based diagnostic criteria for diabetes according to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: An OGTT, A1C, and several cardiovascular risk factors were assessed in 964 individuals without known diabetes participating in a cross-sectional epidemiological survey in Gran Canaria, Spain. RESULTS: Taking the OGTT as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of an A1C value ≥6.5% were 38.7 and 99.6%, respectively. Subjects who fulfilled A1C-based criterion presented greater measures of BMI and waist circumference, lower values for HDL cholesterol, and higher values for fasting plasma glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and fibrinogen than subjects with diabetic OGTT but A1C <6.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Newly diagnosed diabetic individuals who fulfill A1C-based diagnostic criterion for the disease display a more unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile than individuals who only meet the glucose-based criteria.