![]() “If the A1C is less than 5.7, indicating you don’t have diabetes, you should have it checked every three years,” according to Robert Williams, MD, a family doctor and geriatrician in Lakewood, Colorado, and a medical advisor for eMediHealth. To keep A1C levels in check, patients should have the test repeated regularly. For those who fall into these groups, a healthcare provider might suggest a different test or a specialized A1C test. These include:Īlso, the test can be unreliable for people of African, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian descent, people with a family member with sickle cell anemia, and those with thalassemia. There are some health conditions and situations that might skew the results of the A1C test. The NIDDK warns that blood samples taken at home or analyzed in a healthcare provider’s office should not be used for diagnosis. Doctors should use laboratories that are certified by the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) to test A1C levels. Strict quality controls and advancements in testing have made the A1C test more precise than in the past, according to the NIDDK. However, this occurs more commonly in the FPG and OGTT than in the A1C test. Testing environments, such as temperature in the lab, equipment used, and handling of samples, can affect the results. However, blood sugar levels are sometimes not high enough to appear problematic in the early stages of diabetes. How accurate are A1C tests?Ī1C levels rise well before the clinical onset of diabetes, making early diagnosis possible according to the 2017 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). If the results are borderline or if the results of the different tests do not match, a doctor might suggest repeating the test in several weeks or months. The random plasma glucose test, which does not require fasting, can also be used. If A1C test results indicate a person has or might have diabetes, a healthcare provider might suggest one of these tests to confirm the results. Unlike the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), there is no need to fast before having the A1C test. Do you have to fast for an A1C blood test? The A1C blood test is not used to diagnose Type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). To determine if treatment adjustments are needed.There are a few reasons a doctor might suggest an A1C test: RELATED: Diabetes medications and treatments | How many types of diabetes are there? The results provide patients and their healthcare providers with information on how well their treatment, diet, and medication are working and whether adjustments are necessary. The higher blood sugar levels are, the more glucose attaches to hemoglobin. ![]() “It does this by measuring the percentage of red blood cell hemoglobin protein that has sugar stuck to it and provides a three-month average of your blood glucose levels ,” explains Marie Bellantoni, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist at the Center for Endocrinology at Mercy Medical in Baltimore. An A1C test, sometimes called a HbA1C test or glycohemoglobin test, provides an overall measurement of blood sugar control, which gives a better idea of how well a person’s diabetes is controlled. Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), commonly called A1C, stands for glycosylated hemoglobin. The test results keep track of how well a person is managing their diabetes. Unlike blood sugar meters people use at home, the A1C measures an average blood sugar level over the past three months by analyzing how many of a patient’s hemoglobin cells have glucose attached to them. ![]() Whether someone has had diabetes mellitus for years or if they have just been diagnosed, they have probably heard about this test. The hemoglobin A1C test is the closest thing to a diabetes scorecard you can find. Share on Facebook Facebook Logo Share on Twitter Twitter Logo Share on LinkedIn LinkedIn Logo Copy URL to clipboard Share Icon URL copied to clipboard ![]()
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