The correlation between the hemoglobin A1C and BMI in patients with type 2 diabetes is well established. The present study was undertaken to examine whether a similar correlation is present in patients with prediabetes. Between 2017 and 2021, patients within the Ascension Lourdes primary care network were screened for prediabetes and diabetes using the hemoglobin A1C. Patients on any blood sugar lowering medication other than metformin were excluded from observation. A total of 5,1patients between the ages of 18 - 79 with an A1C between 5.7-6.4%.were identified. From this 5,1patient group, a subgroup of 2687 patients had at least two encounters where concurrent BMI and HbA1C values were recorded. A correlation analysis was performed where findings showed a low correlation between the BMI and A1C (n = 2,687, r =0.1, R Squared = 0.01, p < 0.05) . Only 1.1% of the variance in A1C values is explained by the BMI. In addition, there was no significant correlation between the A1C and BMI in subgroups divided by BMI classification and age. Additionally, there was not a statistically significant correlation in patients who developed one A1C greater than 6.4. (n =322 , r = 0.17, R Squared=0.03, p < 0.05)
Conclusion: Among patients with an A1C between 5.7 - 6.4%, BMI does not account for concurrent changes in the hemoglobin A1C. BMI may therefore be of limited utility in predicting which patients with prediabetes are most likely to develop diabetes.
G.Singh: Stock/Shareholder; Gilead Sciences, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. T.Howland: None. B.Shakjiri: None. B.Bush: None. L.Fattarusso: None. S.Stein: None.
