HbA1c alone might not reliably indicate India's diabetes prevalence – Authors' reply

The Lancet Global Health 2026 Open access

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Authors: T. V. Sekher, David C. Flood, Peifeng Hu, Mohammed K. Ali, Ashwini Shete, Sarang Pedgaonkar, Kenneth M. Langa, Eileen M. Crimmins, David E. Bloom, Jinkook Lee
DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(25)00530-3
Cited by: 0
References: 4

Abstract

Lovely Gupta and colleagues question the use of HbA1c in the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). We wish to make three points. First, we did not “concede … that HbA1c-only diagnosis is flawed”, and we disagree with the letter's suggestion that we did not meaningfully discuss HbA1c-related measurement issues. In our Discussion, we devoted a paragraph of 350 words, including 14 references, to the strengths and limitations of our use of HbA1c. We refer readers to this text. Additionally, allow us to clarify that HbA1c is largely unaffected by common haemoglobinopathies when measured by modern laboratory methods, such as the assay used in LASI.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Diabetes Cardiovascular Risks and Lipoproteins Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Diabetes Management and Education

Publication details

Journal / source
The Lancet Global Health
Volume
14
Issue
2
Pages
e196–e196
Publication date
7 January 2026
Language
EN