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Confusion over hb1Ac figure or % figure

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keano1

Newbie
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4
Hello folks,
I have a question about the BG figures I record. I use an Accu Chek tester and get figures such as 5.2, 5.7, etc
Is that the same as my hb1Ac figure? As I have seen that figure expressed as a percentage in some posts on here.
Are they the same thing?

Thanks for your help :D
 
No they are not the same thing.The Hba1c is a percentage of how much glucose you have had in your blood stream over a 90 day period. The daily readings you take are the amount of sugar in your blood at that particular moment in time.
 
No, it's just coincidence that they are within the same range (US use numbers 18x higher for BG measurement so there's less confusion)

HbA1c is complex, it's the percentage of blood cells glycated which does not bear a linear relationship to spot BG numbers, it's a weighted average with a bias towards more recent dates but fails to respond to short high spikes as the blood cells are glycated reversibly at first.

It's a good long term measure of control but not the be all and end all as some authorities use it.
 
Hi keano1,

Here's how your HbA1c correlates to your average finger stick results.

HbA1c% [compared to] Average blood glucose level (mmol/l)
13=18
12=17
11=15
10=13
9=12
8=10
7=8
6=7
5=5
source

Regards,
timo.
 
you should also be aware that your HbA1c can be pulled down if you have lots of hypo's, which can make it an inaccurate way of measuring overall control...

my HbA1c was 6.0 at one stage but my control was very irratic and unpredictable with many many hypo's.
 
Agreed, and there is also personal variation between high glycators and low glycators.

Someone I know used to freak out his doctor by predicting his A1c from his own BG readings and was usually within a couple of decimal points.

OTOH because of the reactive hypoglycemia my A1c was artificially low and actually went UP from 5.2 to 5.6 with improved control

Then someone else I know always runs significantly higher than his meter readings would suggest, and the factor is relatively constant.

It's an indicator but not the be all and end all of measures
 
Hi keano
Heamoglobin has the ability to "attach" oxygen. that's why it's the "respiratory molecule"
At the site where oxygen should go, it can attach some other things, among them carbon monoxide. That's the poison mechanism. Oxygen can detach, when it's delivered. Carbon monoxide does not.
Glucose can also attach irreversibly. The more glucosse is present in the blood, the more glycylates ( attaaches to) the Hb. Red blood cells have a lifespan of about 120 days, so The HbA1c is the percentage of haemoglobin which is glycylated(SP?).modified by how many cells have been renewed in the period since the last test. The more recent cells also bias the reading towards the most recent month or so.
There are tables for converting BG averages to probable HbA1cs
I tend to have a higher Hb A1c than expected.
 
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