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Is diabetes still developing if hba1c is normal?

I

Indie1

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 1
If I manage to keep my hba1c in normal level (as healthy person has) is diabetes still developing?
i.e do I still have larger chance of various deceases than healthy people?

I didn't find answer for this anywhere, and answer from my endocrinologist was very round.
 
That is not one that can easily be answered. I do not think there have been any long term studies on the prognosis when HbA1c is maintained within normal levels.


edit: can't type
 
Its called the DCCT trial - which supports the theory that if you keep your HbA1C normal, your risk of diabetic complications should also be normal (i.e. The same as your average non diabetic person) - http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/YourHealth/Diabetes/Documents/HbA1c matters.pdf - that's the best graph I could find showing risk of complications as against HbA1C result, but there are lots of scholarly articles on the results of the DCCT trial if you are that way inclined as it was a massive global long term clinical trial.

There are limits to it though because some people are just genetically more inclined to the complications so might suffer them despite keeping HbA1C normal. Also, HbA1C can be viewed as quite a blunt tool to measure diabetic control as it only takes account of the average and takes no notice of glycaemic variability, which could carry its own risks.
 
And the there are those who like me already had complications when diagnosed do the complications go away when HbA1c is lowered I wonder.
 
It is a complicated one.

I can't see keeping a normal HbA1c is going to stop Types 1, 1.5 or 3 developing.

And for T 2s, if your diabetes is caused by insulin resistance > weight gain > exceeding your personal fat threshold > liver dysfunction > T2, then losing weight is at least part of the answer, regardless of HbA1c. But if the insulin resistance is still there, the root cause is still there.

But there are many other causes of T2 (T2 is an umbrellas term for a lot of different mini-types).

For instance,
- a lot of older people develop T2 through age related deterioration of their organs.
- there are hereditary factors (i am the 3rd, maybe 4th generation to get T2 in my family, and it always hits at a certain age, regardless of weight, lifestyle or diet - assuming that domestic servants, businessmen and farmers eat somewhat differently!)
- also environmental factors.

Having said all that, maintaining a normal HbA1c will help tremendously in reducing risk of diabetic complications, both before and after diagnosis.
 
Brunneria said:
I can't see keeping a normal HbA1c is going to stop Types 1, 1.5 or 3 developing.
Click to expand...

I sort of assumed that English isn't OP's first language from, what reads like a translated idiom "my endocrinologist was very round" to mean he circumvented the issue. So I also assumed he was asking about developing diabetic complications. I could, of course, be assuming rather too much & you can fill in the blanks about people who assume for yourself!!
 
Correct, I was asking about developing complications.

If a person already has diabetes and assume he somehow manages to keep Hba1c at healthy person level - would it still cause development of diabetics complications? Or it is not only about keeping Hba1c low, but there are also other processes which are going in the body of diabetic which cause complications.
 
Indie1 said:
Correct, I was asking about developing complications.

If a person already has diabetes and assume he somehow manages to keep Hba1c at healthy person level - would it still cause development of diabetics complications? Or it is not only about keeping Hba1c low, but there are also other processes which are going in the body of diabetic which cause complications.
Click to expand...
You may find www.bloodsugar101.com interesting.
It has information about studies showing the effects of HbA1c and complications. :)
 
Brunneria said:
But there are many other causes of T2 (T2 is an umbrellas term for a lot of different mini-types).
Click to expand...
Yes mine was caused by about 13 years of steroid therapy. My brother-in-law diagnosed type1 at 30 was always quite slim and had a very healthy diet mostly vegetarian in fact so managed to lower Hb1Ac a fair bit but still did find his condition progressed some what having had an autoimmune disease MG now for thirteen years I find that what ever you do it's just going to do it's own thing but you can with luck ameliorate it's effects on you not the same I know but autoimmune is autoimmune when your body is trying to do you in it can be pretty determined.
 
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