Type 2 No HBa1C before diagnosis

Jbicheno said:

My husband has recently been told he is diabetic. I knew he had not had an HBA1C listed as a test on a recent blood test for an unrelated matter and this has been confirmed by DN today. My understanding is that you need 2 separate HBA1C tests a few weeks apart before diagnosis. His blood glucose was very high (14mmol) on the morning of his test. However, whatever way they have arrived at this figure would only have been his glucose level at that time. He asked the DN about this and she said as his level was that high they don’t need to do the HBA1C test(s). Is this correct?

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What time of day was the test done and what had he eaten beforehand? If it was a finger prick test, were they careful to wipe his fingers first?
Please take a look at THIS page as it gives NICE recommended glucose levels.
Sadly, at 14 mmol/L, your diabetes nurse is probably correct unless there are other issues like illness or being on steroids.
I'd still be inclined to push for the HbA1c to confirm though.

Jbicheno said:

My husband has recently been told he is diabetic. I knew he had not had an HBA1C listed as a test on a recent blood test for an unrelated matter and this has been confirmed by DN today. My understanding is that you need 2 separate HBA1C tests a few weeks apart before diagnosis. His blood glucose was very high (14mmol) on the morning of his test. However, whatever way they have arrived at this figure would only have been his glucose level at that time. He asked the DN about this and she said as his level was that high they don’t need to do the HBA1C test(s). Is this correct?

Click to expand...

Even without a hba1c a reading of 14 would probably indicate diabetes

However they should now confirm that with a hba1c

Jbicheno said:

My husband has recently been told he is diabetic. I knew he had not had an HBA1C listed as a test on a recent blood test for an unrelated matter and this has been confirmed by DN today. My understanding is that you need 2 separate HBA1C tests a few weeks apart before diagnosis. His blood glucose was very high (14mmol) on the morning of his test. However, whatever way they have arrived at this figure would only have been his glucose level at that time. He asked the DN about this and she said as his level was that high they don’t need to do the HBA1C test(s). Is this correct?

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When I was diagnosed I had been to a&e where they discovered (no idea how because I can’t remember having given blood at this point) my levels were 16.9.
Then went to doc and had hba1c, she said that technically she should do another to be sure, but that my levels were so high (87] that it was undoubtedly diabetes. That the first one at the hospital may have been higher due to body bing in crisis but that it shouldn’t have caused that kind of level. So she was happy to not do another hba1c because she was more concerned that she wanted to start treatment as quick as possible.
So yes, I only had one official hba1c

Jbicheno said:

My husband has recently been told he is diabetic. I knew he had not had an HBA1C listed as a test on a recent blood test for an unrelated matter and this has been confirmed by DN today. My understanding is that you need 2 separate HBA1C tests a few weeks apart before diagnosis. His blood glucose was very high (14mmol) on the morning of his test. However, whatever way they have arrived at this figure would only have been his glucose level at that time. He asked the DN about this and she said as his level was that high they don’t need to do the HBA1C test(s). Is this correct?

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Hi there. These are the NICE criteria for diagnosis:



I was diagnosed on the back of single high blood glucose test. My GP then followed up with an HbA1c, but that was after he declared his diagnosis.

I only had one hba1c to diagnose. I did request a second test based on nice guidance as my only symptom was fatigue. They did a fasting glucose test not a second hba1c for some reason but this confirmed it too. A check of old fasting bgl supported it too and indeed should have got me properly tested and diagnosed much earlier.

if he had symptoms (you don’t say) then a second test isn’t definitively required.

I’d ask for an hba1c now anyway as a baseline to assess progress (or hopefully not deterioration) from.

I also had just the one - but with Hba1c at 91 and a blood glucose level of 17.1 there was not really much point in checking.
Low carb soon fixed it though.

My diagnosis was an on the spot urine strip by the diabetes GP in the surgery and he guessed T2 despite me being stick thin; not the best approach. I was asked to come back in 3 months and then I was given an one HBA1C test.