ABSTRACT
The clinical usefulness of A1c glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c), in the metabolic control of diabetic patients is well known and the goal is to achieve values below 7 percent to prevent the appearance of microangiopathic complications. Standardized measurement methods are required to obtain trustful values. The proposal of the American Diabetes Association to accept A1c as a diagnostic criterion for diabetes and as a means to identify subjects at risk of developing the disease is currently being discussed. The establishment of universal cutoff points has been hindered by the fact that factors such as ethnic influence on glycosylation may modify values of A1c. The use of A1c as an alternative to blood glucose measured during fasting ad after a 75 g glucose load, will not be possible without standardizing measurement methods and performing studies to validate it as a diagnostic method in different populations, including Chileans.