Everything you need to know about the Hba1c test
Posted By Suborna Fermi
Posted on Jun 12, 2022
Diabetes is a serious health concern, which is typically incurable. But diabetic patients need to manage their blood sugar level daily to stay fit and sound.
This metabolic disease can be very fatal, because in the later stages it can devastate every part of the body. This is why if you have diabetes you need to know how to manage the blood glucose or blood sugar levels in the body. There lies the importance of a diabetic profile test because a diabetic test can help you get the presence of diabetes in your body determined.
Managing blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can help you restrain many health issues relating to diabetes.
So, as mentioned before that you have diabetes you need to check your blood glucose level routinely. At that point a hba1c test would be appropriate. Now it's time to talk about the mentioned test first.
What is the Hba1c blood test?
This test is basically a hemoglobin A1c test, also considered as the glycated hemoglobin test. We know that hemoglobin is a very essential component of the red blood cells, which delivers oxygen from lungs to the different organs of the body.
which evaluates the average quantity of blood glucose or blood sugar bound to hemoglobin.
This test highly helps the diabetic patients analysing their blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months. Why three months only? Because the red blood cells usually live for three months.
This test also helps to diagnose you have diabetes, and prediabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes already, then it can help you to stay in the preferred blood sugar level range.
What is the method of this test?
There are two types of methods to check your blood glucose level. One method is drawing blood through the vein, and the other is drawing blood through finger-pricking.
You do not require fast or any other test preparations to appear in the hba1c blood test. However, you can ask your doctor for any specific instruction regarding the test.
A laboratory professional will draw a small sample of blood through a vein in your hand, or they will draw blood through pricking the tip of your finger.
After that, they will collect the blood sample in a lab container and send it to the laboratory for testing.
What is the interpretation of hba1c test results?
The test results show the amount of hemoglobin bounded glucose in the percentage. The reference range may differ from labs to labs. However, here is the reference range:
- Hba1c levels beneath 5.7% is considered normal.
- Hba1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4% is considered a prediabetes stage.
- Hba1c levels greater than 6.4% is considered as diabetes.
Although it is important to consult with your doctor for a better understanding of the diabetes check up results. Because hemoglobin A1c test results can be affected by different reasons. Such as:
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Acute anemia
- Extreme blood loss
- Low iron levels
- Certain medications
- Early or late pregnancy
- Extreme stress
How often should you check your blood glucose levels?
Typically, doctors do recommend the timing when you should check your blood glucose level, as the timing relies on what type of diabetes you have.
- If you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, then your doctor might recommend checking the glucose levels 3 to 4 times in a day. The timing would be before having meals, before or after exercising, before bed, and sometimes during the night.
- If you have type 2 diabetes and use insulin, then your doctor may ask you to check the glucose levels multiple times a day. Also, this depends on what type of insulin you use.
So, this is all the necessary information regarding the diabetes testing. Apart from that, the hba1c test price is quite low, so you can test your diabetic profile to determine whether you have this disease or not.
Hope you understand that diabetes is a deadly disease if not controlled carefully. You just have to take some measurements to control your blood glucose levels to prevent any complications of diabetes. You may consult a reliable pathology lab to know about diabetic profile test price.