Health New Zealand has announced that new HbA1c diagnostic thresholds for diabetes and pre-diabetes will be introduced to align with international standards:
- Diabetes: HbA1c ≥ 48 mmol/mol (currently ≥ 50 mmol/mol)
- Pre-diabetes: HbA1c 42 – 47 mmol/mol (currently 41 – 49 mmol/mol)
- Normal: HbA1c < 42 mmol/mol (currently ≤ 40 mmol/mol)
- No confirmatory test required if HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (currently a confirmatory test is recommended if the first result is ≥ 50 mmol/mol)
- A confirmatory test is required as soon as practical if HbA1c is 48 – 52 mmol/mol
The new thresholds can be adopted at any time from now and can be applied to historical results. Updates to laboratory reporting, local HealthPathways and the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes (NZSSD) guidance will be released on 1st July.
