The hba1c test is a commonly used assessment by physicians to determine the general average in this case over a three month period, of a diabetic’s blood glucose levels. It is becoming the yard stick for diabetes diagnosis today with the recent improved guidelines  and advocacy from the ADA.

What is hba1c test?

Glucose is a sugar found in the blood and like most other sugars, it tends to stick to the cells, the hba1c test will be used to determine the amount of sugar/glucose sticking to your cells, Depending on the amount of this sugar/glucose sticking, it can be determined  as a percentage on how well a diabetic is expending this glucose form their blood.

How is the hba1c test performed?

At the doctor’s office, the lab technician or the nurse will draw some blood and using some blood analysis lab equipment, he can then determine the a1c which at the moment comes in percentage form.

Optimal hba1c Results.

Since the hba1c is reflected as a percentage of  glucose found in the blood, the optimal results are as follows.

• Anything under 6.4% means you are not diabetic or pre diabetic or if you are already diabetic then you are doing a pretty good job at controlling diabetes.
• At 6.5% and above then you are diabetic and you are doing a poor job of controlling the disease.
• Typically non diabetic individuals have an hba1c level of 5% or lower

There are three ways to test for hba1c levels.

Home hba1c Test

You can easily test at home without any laboratory apparatus. all you need is a simple kit sold at the local discount drug chain.

How to do a home hba1c test.

The kit comes with a lancet that you basically use to prick your finger and get a blood sample which is then placed on a card and sealed in an envelop.

the envelop is then sent to a  lab that will test the blood and send the result back to you or your doctor.

hba1c test at the Endocrinologist

Your endocrinologist will have the laboratory equipment necessary to do your hba1c test at his/her office and most of the time, you will get the result while you wait and use them to review your progress and map your strategy.

Commercial Labs hba1c test

Accurate hba1c tests should be undertaken by commercial labs for various reasons one being that they are able to calibrate their equipment on a regular basis for perceived accuracy.

Most of these labs are run by major hospitals or commercial entities whose expertise is in blood testing and analysis.

They are policed by federal and state regulators to ensure they are legitimate.

Goals for the hba1c test

The goals for an hba1c test is not just to give you a snapshot of how your Diabetes Management is progressing but should also be used as a guide to better health. Getting your a1c to as normal a range as possible should be your number 1 goal when managing diabetes since it will be responsible for reducing the harmful diabetes complications.