A US organisation has recommended that HbA1c targets for adults with type 2 diabetes should be higher than suggested by existing guidelines.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has informed doctors to advise people to aim for HbA1c levels between 7-8% (53-64 mmol/mol), rather than the traditional advice of 6.5-7% (48-53 mmol/mol).
The controversial advice has been met with scepticism by US physicians who believe the recommendations send "mixed messages" to people with type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Ajay Rao, from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, told Reuters Health the recommended range "is inconsistent with guidelines from most national and international organizations".
Dr Rao added that relaxing HbA1c goals "sends a mixed message to our patients, and potentially sends us backward in the fight against small vessel complications in type 2 diabetes."
The ACAP recommendation follows a review of six sets of guidelines from other organisations. Other recommendations include personalising blood sugar goals in patients on the basis of discussing treatment options; considering reduced drug therapy in patients with HbA1c below 6.5%; and minimising symptoms of high blood sugar.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has informed doctors to advise people to aim for HbA1c levels between 7-8% (53-64 mmol/mol), rather than the traditional advice of 6.5-7% (48-53 mmol/mol).
The controversial advice has been met with scepticism by US physicians who believe the recommendations send "mixed messages" to people with type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Ajay Rao, from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, told Reuters Health the recommended range "is inconsistent with guidelines from most national and international organizations".
Dr Rao added that relaxing HbA1c goals "sends a mixed message to our patients, and potentially sends us backward in the fight against small vessel complications in type 2 diabetes."
The ACAP recommendation follows a review of six sets of guidelines from other organisations. Other recommendations include personalising blood sugar goals in patients on the basis of discussing treatment options; considering reduced drug therapy in patients with HbA1c below 6.5%; and minimising symptoms of high blood sugar.