Glycosylated haemoglobin and blood glucose levels in Libyan diabetic patients.

Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) and fasting blood glucose levels of 178 Libyan diabetic men were determined. The mean levels respectively were 11.5 +/- 0.4% and 236 +/- 7 mg.dl-1. In this study group, there were 78 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and 100 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The highest percentage of patients belong to the age group 51-60 with the onset of diabetes between 41 and 50 years of age. The highest number of obese patients were in the age group 51-60 indicating the strong association between diabetes and obesity. A statistically significant correlation was found between fasting blood glucose levels and HbA1 concentrations (r = 0.37; P less than 0.001). Correlations between urinary glucose and HbA1 or fasting blood glucose were highly significant. These diabetic patients have a poorly controlled diabetes as indicated by the correlation between HbA1 and duration of diabetes. There was no significant difference in HbA1 levels of patients undergoing insulin administration and those taking oral hypoglycaemic drugs. Glycosylated haemoglobin levels will be a valuable adjunct to blood glucose determinations in epidemiological studies.