HbA1c

[Amyvictoriaxx]

Hey everyone I’m just curious to what is classed as a good HbA1c mine is currently at around 5.9% which is 41 mmol and have been type one for 8 years now
Thank you all xx

 

[Marie 2]

I consider anything below a 6.5% (47) doing good. And below 6.2 % (44) really really good and below a 6% (42) absolutely great! And below 37, it means you're not a diabetic, sigh..........I wish lol!!!!!

 

[kaylz91]

Well that completely depends to be honest, hba1c isn't the best indicator on how your management is as it could be lowish but that's because your swinging from high to low etc, I think that's more why HCP's are concentrating more now on "time in range" I've had ranging from very low 30's (not good and lost hypo awareness) to 53 which my DSN and consultant were fine with but I wasn't but it was while I was leaving my honeymoon period so huge adjustments were needed and they take time xx

 

[MattH892]

Well that completely depends to be honest, hba1c isn't the best indicator on how your management is as it could be lowish but that's because your swinging from high to low etc, I think that's more why HCP's are concentrating more now on "time in range" I've had ranging from very low 30's (not good and lost hypo awareness) to 53 which my DSN and consultant were fine with but I wasn't but it was while I was leaving my honeymoon period so huge adjustments were needed and they take time xx

@kaylz91 I guess a focus on 'time in range' makes complete sense! What would you say is a 'good' time in range percentage? Obviously the closer to 100% you are the better, but what could be considered as good percentage and what do you typically set your range at?

 

[Wayward Blood]

People with good control have good Hba1c results, but, as mentioned by others, that doesn't always work the other way round. Think of it like body temperature: two people both have the same average over a period of time. One person's spent that time in a comfortable room on a day with pleasant temperature. The other person has alternated between being on fire and encased in ice. The most important thing is to spend as much time as you possibly can within a safe blood sugar range. You'll find various definitions of what 'safe' is. I'll only reference my own goal: to stay as close to 4.8 as I can at all times without hypos.

 

[kaylz91]

@kaylz91 I guess a focus on 'time in range' makes complete sense! What would you say is a 'good' time in range percentage? Obviously the closer to 100% you are the better, but what could be considered as good percentage and what do you typically set your range at?

Well for the likes of the Libre and other CGM’s they like it ideally to be <1% below 3.0, <4% below 3.9, >70% between 3.9-10.0, <25% above 10.0 and <5% above 13.9 for a Type 1 diabetic, on my Libreview my target range is set at 3.9-10 and last looked at that on Sunday which had me 91% in target for the last 90 days, I do however have it set at 3.9-9 on the app xx

 

[MattH892]

Well for the likes of the Libre and other CGM’s they like it ideally to be <1% below 3.0, <4% below 3.9, >70% between 3.9-10.0, <25% above 10.0 and <5% above 13.9 for a Type 1 diabetic, on my Libreview my target range is set at 3.9-10 and last looked at that on Sunday which had me 91% in target for the last 90 days, I do however have it set at 3.9-9 on the app xx

Thanks @kaylz91 that's really helpful. I've got to be honest, I'd had my Libre for 7/8 months now and I've only just looked at my LibreView online, I've always just used the app, but the reports are great!

 

[Daibell]

That's a very good HBA1C. I struggle to keep mine down to 6.5% but I don't have a Libre etc.

 

[UK T1]

Really interesting thread. I have been given different reasponses from consultants (who say aim for 48 for long term complications) and DSNs (who say aim for 53 to not risk hypo awareness). They all say to go for time in target though, and luckily I've had the libre since Nov 2019 which has made levelling out spikes around meals so much easier! They have a new report on LibreView called the AGP which says a 5% increase in time spent in rangeg (which they class as between 3.9-10mmol/L) is clinically beneficial. Like others have said, my diabetes team have always stressed the importance of avoiding spikes in glucose levels, as a low HbA1c can be because half the time is spent high and half the time super low, which obviously isn't good. I am told to aim to be between 5.5-6.5 during the day, 6.5-8 before bed. This obviously doesn't always happen, but good to remind myself of the goals!

 

[CelalDari]

Hey everyone I’m just curious to what is classed as a good HbA1c mine is currently at around 5.9% which is 41 mmol and have been type one for 8 years now
Thank you all xx

I’m afraid HbA1c is only one part of the bigger picture. HbA1c only shows the amount of glucose retained by haemoglobin. Every 2-3 months your red blood cells are renewed so your HbA1c changes.

However your HbA1c may look good e.g. 5.8% but it might be because you are having a lot of hypos which are balancing out the hypers. On average I was having 1-3 hypos a day when I was on 16 units of Lantus, my Libre and mySugr app estimated my HbA1c to be 5.8%.

You should record the number of hypos you have per week and my diabetic nurse suggested a maximum of 2 hypos a week

 

[Jc3131]

Mine at the moment is sitting at 48 that's from the info on my Libre so I'm not sure how accurate it is. I''ve not had my bloods done since I've had the Libre because of the coronavirus but I've been hovering around 48 to 54 mark since diagnosis 3 years ago.

I don't have many hypos, if I do they aren't servere. It's the spikes that I need to control, but having the Libre makes it a bit easier to make decisions about correction doses etc.

 

[Struma]

I received this this week, it's well worth a read and is up to date. I thought it well written and very informative. But, it has US numbers.

https://diatribe.org/going-beyond-a1c-improve-your-health-gmi-and-tir