The Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) blood test is essential to good health management for diabetics. Your blood glucose level changes, such as after eating or exercising or when you’re stressed. Often you won’t realize your level is changing until you check it. This test is vital to determining how much insulin to take or when you’re at risk of hypoglycemia or low blood glucose. However, you might miss your high or low points if you check your blood glucose levels multiple times throughout the day. To avoid this, you should take the HbA1C test every three months.
Haemoglobin A1c test
A haemoglobin A1c blood test is excellent for evaluating average blood sugar levels or detecting diabetes. However, you may want to know if this test will help you avoid certain complications. If you have diabetes, you should consider undergoing this test as part of a comprehensive wellness program. You may consider using this test if you have been diagnosed with high blood glucose levels or recently begun taking diabetes medicine.
The haemoglobin A1c blood test measures average blood glucose over the past three months. Because red blood cells live for three months, this test can detect the presence of diabetes or pre-diabetes in adults. It is essential to know your HbA1c levels since they may signal a complication in the future. This test should be done regularly to monitor your treatment.
Haemoglobin variants
The haemoglobin variants in your HbA1C blood test may be due to your genetic make-up. Although most people with haemoglobin variants do not have any symptoms or complications, they should still be identified and treated if necessary. This article provides an overview of the different types of haemoglobin variants and how they are detected. It also explains the differences between these variants and their effects on the levels of HbA1c in the blood.
Initially, the abnormal haemoglobin was found to be due to a mutation in the globin gene. However, it was later discovered that these variants resulted in abnormally high HbA1c levels, mainly due to differences in the mobility of haemoglobin molecules in HPLC. Old-type HPLC analysis often showed abnormal peaks in the chromatogram of subjects with variant haemoglobin.
Ranges of results
When it comes to the HbA1c blood test, there are several different normal ranges. Each test should be interpreted in the context of its specific patient. HbA1c is a haemoglobin glycation marker, dependent on several factors, including ethnicity and race. People from minority populations tend to have higher HbA1c values than others.
The average HbA1c blood level is less than 6%, while a reading of more than 7% is high. However, many people with diabetes strive to keep this level below 7%, associated with fewer complications. To further aid in interpreting HbA1c stories, many laboratories calculate an eAG (estimated average glucose) value alongside each result. The eAG measures the correlation between HbA1c and intermediate blood sugar levels.
Precautions
If you have diabetes, you should know the precautions for hba1c blood testing. While HbA1c is the most common test to diagnose the disease, the results are not always accurate. This test may be less objective in some cases, including diabetes in children or gestational diabetes. Additionally, the test may be less real in people with blood disorders such as anaemia. For this reason, health care providers often recommend other tests.
There are several essential things to remember about the HbA1c blood test. The first is the sample collection and storage. There are many methods to collect blood, including venipuncture or finger-stick capillary. Blood should be stored at room temperature for at least one week. Blood stored at two or eight degrees C is generally stable for up to 1 year. Blood stored below -20 degrees C has adverse effects and should be avoided.
Know more about hba1c blood test products in Welzo.com
Read More: How to Test For Fertility