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CLINICAL GUIDELINES

Glycemic Control and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Optimal Hemoglobin A1c Targets. A Guidance Statement from the American College of Physicians

right arrow Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA; Sandeep Vijan, MD, MS; Vincenza Snow, MD; J. Thomas Cross, MD, MPH; Kevin B. Weiss, MD, MPH; Douglas K. Owens, MD, MS, for the Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians*

18 September 2007 | Volume 147 Issue 6 | Pages 417-422

This guidance statement is derived from other organizations' guidelines and is based on an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the available guidelines. We used the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation in Europe (AGREE) appraisal instrument to evaluate the guidelines from various organizations. On the basis of the review of the available guidelines, we recommend:

Statement 1: To prevent microvascular complications of diabetes, the goal for glycemic control should be as low as is feasible without undue risk for adverse events or an unacceptable burden on patients. Treatment goals should be based on a discussion of the benefits and harms of specific levels of glycemic control with the patient. A hemoglobin A1c level less than 7% based on individualized assessment is a reasonable goal for many but not all patients.

Statement 2: The goal for hemoglobin A1c level should be based on individualized assessment of risk for complications from diabetes, comorbidity, life expectancy, and patient preferences.

Statement 3: We recommend further research to assess the optimal level of glycemic control, particularly in the presence of comorbid conditions.

*This paper, written by Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA; Sandeep Vijan, MD, MS; Vincenza Snow, MD; J. Thomas Cross, MD, MPH; Kevin B. Weiss, MD, MPH; and Douglas K. Owens, MD, MS, was developed for the American College of Physicians' Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee: Douglas K. Owens, MD, MS (Chair); Donald E. Casey Jr., MD, MPH, MBA; J. Thomas Cross Jr., MD, MPH; Paul Dallas, MD; Nancy C. Dolan, MD; Mary Ann Forciea, MD; Lakshmi Halasyamani, MD; Robert H. Hopkins Jr., MD; and Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD. Approved by the ACP Board of Regents on 28 October 2006.

Author and Article Information
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From the American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Medstudy, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois; Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California; and Stanford University, Stanford, California

Note: Guidance statements are guides only and may not apply to all patients and all clinical situations. Thus, they are not intended to override clinicians' judgment. All ACP guidance statements are considered automatically withdrawn or invalid 5 years after publication or once an update has been issued.

Grant Support: Financial support for the development of this guideline comes exclusively from the ACP operating budget.

Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: Grants received: V. Snow (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Novo Nordisk, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer Inc., Merck Pharmaceuticals). Receipt of payment for manuscript preparation: S. Vijan (American College of Physicians).

Requests for Single Reprints: Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106; e-mail, aqaseem{at}acponline.org.

Current Author Addresses: Drs. Qaseem and Snow: American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Dr. Vijan: Veterans Affairs Health Services Research, 2215 Fuller Road, Mailstop 11H, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Dr. Cross: Medstudy, 1761 South 8th Street, Suite H, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.

Dr. Weiss: Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital, PO Box 5000, Hines, IL 60141.

Dr. Owens: Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, 117 Encina Commons, Stanford, CA 94305.


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Annals 2007 147: I-52. [Full Text]  

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Annals 2008 148: 564-565. [Full Text]  



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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Hemoglobin A1c in Dialysis Patients
Anthony J Bleyer, et al.
Annals Online, 25 Sep 2007 [Full text]
Using the AGREE to compare multiple guidelines
Valerie A. Palda, et al.
Annals Online, 2 Oct 2007 [Full text]
The hegemony of "tight control"
Thomas E. Finucane
Annals Online, 3 Oct 2007 [Full text]
Guideline adaptation: an appealing alternative to de novo guideline development
Beatrice Fervers, et al.
Annals Online, 12 Oct 2007 [Full text]
In Response
Amir Qaseem, et al.
Annals Online, 21 Dec 2007 [Full text]
In Response
Robert E. Hoyt
Annals Online, 12 Feb 2008 [Full text]



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