Diabetes-HBA1C

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Transcript:

The “glycated hemoglobin” or “HBA1c” test...

Hemoglobin is the protein in the blood that transports oxygen

Hemoglobin becomes glycated when it reacts with glucose and other sugars

...and then it is known as HBA1c..

...where “c” stands for “carbohydrate”

Normally, HbA1c makes up 4– 6% of our total hemoglobin

But the HBA1c is abnormally high in diabetic persons with chronically elevated blood glucose

...otherwise known as “hyperglycemia”

Since HBA1c circulates within red blood cells whose life span is 120 days..

HBA1c generally reflects the state of blood glucose levels over the previous 8– 12 weeks

...and this gives a reliable method of assessing blood glucose control

So how often should you measure your HBA1c?

Every 3 to 4 months...

this is so adjustments in therapy can be made if HbA1c is low..

...or if it is more than 2% above the upper limit

The HbA1c value provides a valuable check on the accuracy of a patient's self monitoring.

Now, an upper value of 6.5% has been chosen for HBA1c..

this is because the risk for retinopathy increases substantially when HBA1c is > 6.5%










Now, there are a number of advantages to using the HbA1c to diagnose diabetes..

Firstly, there is no need to fast!

There is also less variability between individuals as compared to the fasting glucose test and the oral glucose tolerance test

The HBA1c also provides an estimate of glucose control for the previous 2– 3 months.

Persons with HbA1c levels of 5.7– 6.4% are considered to be pre-diabetic..

that is, they are at high risk for developing diabetes

The HBA1c test is not appropriate in populations with a high prevalence of diseases that affect hemoglobin

...or in conditions with decreased red cell lifespan

Vitamins C and E can cause a falsely low HBA1c level..

this is possibly due to them inhibiting the reaction between glucose & hemoglobin

There are other factors that affect the true level of HBA1c...

...but that is beyond the scope of this video.

We hope you are now more knowledgeable about the HBA1c test..

Thank you!!


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