I have been searching for a forum post that I saw in the past few days about what a HbA1c was/meant and cannot find it. Help
Help HbA1c
- Thread starter broads
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Dennis
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Hi Broads,
HBA1C is the blood test they do that measures what your blood sugar levels have been over the last 90 days. The result is shown as a percentage figure but this can be converted into an average mmol value by using the HBA1C to mmol converter on the community web page.
This link explains HBA1C far better than I can:
http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/prevent ... _hba1c.htm
HBA1C is the blood test they do that measures what your blood sugar levels have been over the last 90 days. The result is shown as a percentage figure but this can be converted into an average mmol value by using the HBA1C to mmol converter on the community web page.
This link explains HBA1C far better than I can:
http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/prevent ... _hba1c.htm
Thanks for the reply Dennis. I have seen that website, showed it to my husband who is not diabetic but, for want of a better word, is a scientist who can read graphs, numbers etc who thought it was not a good site. I remember seeing a good post about HbA1c in the last couple of days. Where did I see it?
Hi Broads,
Can't help with the site you are looking for but I really don't think there is any value in trying to convert HbA1c to an average Blood Sugar result. As a scientist I expect your husband will understand this.
HbA1c measures the amount,as a percentage, of Glucose attached to the red blood cells and this gives an indication of the level of control over the past 8 - 12 weeks. A person without diabetes will have a HbA1c of between 4 - 6%.
On the other hand the readings taken regularly when you test,give the actual blood sugar value at a specific point in time. So trying to make direct correlation between the two is not really of any great value.
In simple terms if your daily meter readings are <10 mMoles/litre and >4mMoles/litre your HbA1c will probably be around 6-7%. If your HbA1c is around 6% or less you are doing well and if it is >7.5% you need to take action to control things.
Cheers
Can't help with the site you are looking for but I really don't think there is any value in trying to convert HbA1c to an average Blood Sugar result. As a scientist I expect your husband will understand this.
HbA1c measures the amount,as a percentage, of Glucose attached to the red blood cells and this gives an indication of the level of control over the past 8 - 12 weeks. A person without diabetes will have a HbA1c of between 4 - 6%.
On the other hand the readings taken regularly when you test,give the actual blood sugar value at a specific point in time. So trying to make direct correlation between the two is not really of any great value.
In simple terms if your daily meter readings are <10 mMoles/litre and >4mMoles/litre your HbA1c will probably be around 6-7%. If your HbA1c is around 6% or less you are doing well and if it is >7.5% you need to take action to control things.
Cheers
sugarless sue
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Dennis
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JER said:I really don't think there is any value in trying to convert HbA1c to an average Blood Sugar result. As a scientist I expect your husband will understand this.
Hi JER,
My reason for mentioning the conversion is simply because so many people don't realise that the HBA1C figure they are being quoted is not the same as their blood sugar reading. We have had literally hundreds of instances of patients interpreting an HBA1C as a blood sugar reading showing adequate control, when in fact an HBA1C of 7% translates to an average mmol reading of 8.3, way above the point at which complications are likely to occur.
So I can't agree that there is no value in people being aware of what sort of average in mmol terms their HBA1C is indicative of, even if is only an awareness of whether all is ok or something more needs to be done.
C
catherinecherub
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Hi Broads, You do not have to fast for an HBA1c test. Perhaps you are having other tests as well.
Hi Dennis,
This is my second attempt at a reply. I spent a few minutes putting one together and it didn't show up for some reason.
In short I think we both have a similar view on this and I feel that why get hung up on trying to make sense out of two results that are quite different in what they measure.
HbA1c is a retrospectiove value and is of more interest to your GP/Consultant whereas daily blood sugar results are what we need to maintain control. So why make comparisons it will only confuse people even more.
Cheers
JER
This is my second attempt at a reply. I spent a few minutes putting one together and it didn't show up for some reason.
In short I think we both have a similar view on this and I feel that why get hung up on trying to make sense out of two results that are quite different in what they measure.
HbA1c is a retrospectiove value and is of more interest to your GP/Consultant whereas daily blood sugar results are what we need to maintain control. So why make comparisons it will only confuse people even more.
Cheers
JER
sugarless sue
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We need daily blood sugar levels to maintain control,yes,but unless you where constantly testing hour by hour you may be unaware of 'spikes' in your levels.This is where knowing your hba1c comes in handy because it shows the percentage over 90 days.You may think that your daily readings are good because they show say a 6 when you take them but your Hba1c may be 7% which would indicate that ,during your day you are actually getting higher levels at some points of the day.This helps you decide whether to do more one hour ,two hour tests for a while to iron out the 'spikes' in your levels.
sugarless sue
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C
catherinecherub
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Sorry broads,
Don't know that one. My surgery are quite happy for me to have sips of water prior to a fasting test. Why not ring your surgery, ask them to decipher what is on the form and ask if they have a policy about drinking water.
Hope this helps.
Don't know that one. My surgery are quite happy for me to have sips of water prior to a fasting test. Why not ring your surgery, ask them to decipher what is on the form and ask if they have a policy about drinking water.
Hope this helps.
C
catherinecherub
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Yes that could be it Broads. It is called a lipoprotein so that could well be the abbreviation.(lipo)
sugarless sue said:We need daily blood sugar levels to maintain control,yes,but unless you where constantly testing hour by hour you may be unaware of 'spikes' in your levels.This is where knowing your hba1c comes in handy because it shows the percentage over 90 days.You may think that your daily readings are good because they show say a 6 when you take them but your Hba1c may be 7% which would indicate that ,during your day you are actually getting higher levels at some points of the day.This helps you decide whether to do more one hour ,two hour tests for a while to iron out the 'spikes' in your levels.
Sue, HbA1c won't tell you that it isn't designed to do that. If you think you are getting spikes then you should test around the point you think they are occurring and then once you find it sort it out. But don't rely on the HbA1c test for that. It is good practice to occasionally do tests outside your normal daily test times to check for execessive highs etc. So if you are doing this you would pick it up before having an HbA1c done.
Cheers
JER
Dennis
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Hi JER,
I think you may have misinterpreted Sue's point. The HBA1C will not tell you where any spikes are occurring, but it is a valuable indicator - it can show that you are having spikes that you are not aware of. If your tests show that your BS is consistently around 6mmol but the HBA1C covering the same period shows 7%, then that shows that you are getting spikes during times that you are not aware of and that, as you suggest, further tests at different times may be needed. This can be particularly true for type-2s, where over-production of glucose by the liver is very common.
I think you may have misinterpreted Sue's point. The HBA1C will not tell you where any spikes are occurring, but it is a valuable indicator - it can show that you are having spikes that you are not aware of. If your tests show that your BS is consistently around 6mmol but the HBA1C covering the same period shows 7%, then that shows that you are getting spikes during times that you are not aware of and that, as you suggest, further tests at different times may be needed. This can be particularly true for type-2s, where over-production of glucose by the liver is very common.
Dennis,
What I am saying is HbA1c is a retrospective measure and isn't meant to make you focus on specific detail. Your daily bloods are a real time measurement and that's what you should use to identify when and where things are out of control. If you are working in that way,by testing at different times occasionally, you will know long before you have an HbA1c done that things are out of control.
Cheers
JER
What I am saying is HbA1c is a retrospective measure and isn't meant to make you focus on specific detail. Your daily bloods are a real time measurement and that's what you should use to identify when and where things are out of control. If you are working in that way,by testing at different times occasionally, you will know long before you have an HbA1c done that things are out of control.
Cheers
JER
