Is early measurement of glycated albumin and HbA1c useful for the prediction of treatment response in type 2 diabetes?

A timely assessment of response to treatment in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients initiating a pharmacological treatment could be useful for avoiding longer-term use of ineffective drugs. HbA1c, which is correlated with average glucose of the previous 3–4 months [1], is currently considered the gold standard for monitoring glucose control. Effects of variations of treatment are usually assessed through HbA1c determination after 3 or more months. Shorter-term variations of HbA1c could theoretically predict longer-term variations of the same variable. Glycated albumin (GA) has been proposed as an indicator of shorter-term (2-week) glucose control [2], although standardization of measurement methods has not been achieved yet [3]. The aim of the present pilot study was to explore the possibility of predicting 3-month HbA1c variation by measuring HbA1c or GA at 15 and 30 days.