Aims and Objectives:We compared performance of HbA1c in diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus with that of fasting plasma glucose and tried to determine cut off point of HbA1c for optimum sensitivity and specifi city in a population of eastern India both from urban and rural background. Materials and Methods: The analysis was conducted in persons aged between 40 and 80 years, visiting our institution, who are newly diagnosed as diabetic and non-diabetic attending hospital for some other reason, who underwent FPG and HbA1c testing, in the time period January 2013 to August 2014. Results: From 100 individuals (mean age 54.6 years) HbA1c ≥ 6.5% produced sensitivity of 90% and specifi city of 72%, positive predictive value 76.27% and negative predictive value 87.80% when compared to FPG ≥ 126 mg% as standard. By ROC curve, optimum cut off point for HbA1c was found to be 7.05% for diagnosis of diabetes. Conclusion: Using a cut off value of HbA1c of 7% may optimise detection of diabetes mellitus and ensure proper patient care.

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