Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25045323›Full record

ArticleBMC clinical pathology2014

Comparability of HbA1c and lipids measured with dried blood spot versus venous samples: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Eshan T Affan, Devarsetty Praveen, Clara K Chow, Bruce C Neal

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC clinical pathology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Dried Blood Spots to Assess Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Effect of theBMJ open · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. HbADiabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association · 2020
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Cambodian Refugees.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2016
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Eshan T AffanThe George Institute for Global Health, Missenden Rd, PO Box M201, NSW 2050 Sydney, Australia ; The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Devarsetty PraveenThe George Institute for Global Health, Missenden Rd, PO Box M201, NSW 2050 Sydney, Australia ; The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Clara K ChowThe George Institute for Global Health, Missenden Rd, PO Box M201, NSW 2050 Sydney, Australia ; The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia ; Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Bruce C NealThe George Institute for Global Health, Missenden Rd, PO Box M201, NSW 2050 Sydney, Australia ; The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
The University of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLevels of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood lipids are important determinants of risk in patients with diabetes. Standard analysis methods based upon venous blood samples can be logistically challenging in resource-poor settings where much of the diabetes epidemic is occurring. Dried blood spots (DBS) provide a simple alternative method for sample collection but the comparability of data from analyses based on DBS is not well established.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to define the association of findings for HbA1c and blood lipids for analyses based upon standard methods compared to DBS. The Cochrane, Embase and Medline databases were searched for relevant reports and summary regression lines were estimated.

results705 abstracts were found by the initial electronic search with 6 further reports identified by manual review of the full papers. 16 studies provided data for one or more outcomes of interest. There was a close agreement between the results for HbA1c assays based on venous and DBS samples (DBS = 0.9858venous + 0.3809), except for assays based upon affinity chromatography. Significant adjustment was required for assays of total cholesterol (DBS = 0.6807venous + 1.151) but results for triglycerides (DBS = 0.9557venous + 0.1427) were directly comparable.

conclusionsFor HbA1c and selected blood lipids, assays based on DBS samples are clearly associated with assays based on standard venous samples. There are, however, significant uncertainties about the nature of these associations and there is a need for standardisation of the sample collection, transportation, storage and analysis methods before the technique can be considered mainstream. This should be a research priority because better elucidation of metabolic risks in resource poor settings, where venous sampling is infeasible, will be key to addressing the global epidemic of cardiovascular diseases.

Indexed as

Dried blood spotHbA1cLipidsMeta-analysisTotal cholesterolTriglycerides

Identifiers

PMID25045323
PMCPMC4101836
OpenAlexW2042362594

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.