Advances in the measurement and clinical utility of glycated hemoglobin

Aim of the present work is to give an update about the clinical utility of the measurement of glycated hemoglobin, as well to summarize the state-of-the-art of the process of standardization of HbA1c worldwide. Recent data collected from various EQAS studies are presented, with some more details about the quality of HbA1c measurement in Italy. A brief discussion about the problems related to the transition to the IFCC standardized assays is presented, together with the most recent proposals related to the studies on the relationship between HbA1c and mean blood glucose.