What Is A Good A1c Level For Type 2 Diabetes

Sometimes The Test Isnt Accurate And Heres Why:

• If you are bleeding a lot, the protein in your red bold cells may be low, so it could say your A1C is lower than it actually is.
• If youve just had a blood transfusion or have other forms of hemolytic anemia, your A1C test results may be lower than it actually is.
• If you are low in iron in the blood, your A1C test results may be higher than it actually is.
• If you have a special hemoglobin . Most people have Hemoglobin A. With the variant, you can be falsely high or low. A lab test can be done to see which one you are and special lab tests can then give you an accurate A1C.
• A new lab can give different results as well. Keep this in mind if your results were sent away to a new facility. It could account for minor reading variations.

How Often Should You Check Your Hemoglobin A1c Levels

The American Diabetes Association suggests if people with diabetes want to reduce their hemoglobin A1c levels quickly, they should get their hemoglobin A1c levels checked every three months until they reach their treatment goals.

People with diabetes who are meeting treatment goals and have stable blood control are recommended to check their hemoglobin A1c every six months according to the ADA.

Tracking hemoglobin A1c levels allows an individual and their health-care professional to determine how well the person is controlling their blood sugar levels over time. However, they are not a substitute for daily glucose monitoring.

Setting Goals For A1c Levels

The target A1c level for people with diabetes is usually less than 7%. The higher the hemoglobin A1c, the higher your risk of having complications related to diabetes. Someone who has had untreated diabetes for a long time might have a level above 8%.

If you have diabetes and your level is above your target, your doctor may change your treatment plan to get your level down.

A combination of diet, exercise, and medication can bring your levels down.

People with diabetes should have an A1c test every 3 months to make sure their blood sugar is in their target range. If your diabetes is under good control, you may be able to wait longer between the blood tests. But experts recommend checking at least two times a year.

People with diseases affecting hemoglobin, such as anemia, may get misleading results with this test. Other things that can affect the results of the hemoglobin A1c include supplements such as vitamins C and E and high cholesterol levels. Kidney disease and liver disease may also affect the test.

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What Are All The Classes Of Diabetes Drugs

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How Do You Lower Your A1c Fast

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What Is A Dangerous Level Of A1c

When levels rise to 9.0, the risk of kidney and eye damage and neuropathy increases. Some people who are newly diagnosed could have levels over 9.0. Lifestyle changes and possibly medication can lower levels quickly. For someone who has long-standing diabetes, levels rise above 9.0 could signal the need for a change in their treatment plan.

Some labs estimate average blood glucose , which corresponds to home glucose meter readings , allowing patients to understand the results better.

Hemoglobin A1c Not Reliable In Diagnosing Type 2 Diabetes

With Maria Mercedes Chang Villacreses, MD, and Elena Christofides, MD, FACE

The test that doctors most often rely on to detect a persons risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetesthe hemoglobin A1c blood testtoo often delivers a poor reading, thereby missing the diagnosis in nearly three out of four at-risk individuals,1 according to research presented at the Endocrine Society meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The investigators compared the accuracy of the A1c test with the other screening method used to assess patients risk of diabetesthe oral glucose tolerance test to arrive at this startling conclusion.1

The common use of the hemoglobin A1c test to screen for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes should be skipped in place of more reliable tests. Photo: 123rf

“The A1c missed almost 73% of the people with diabetes in comparison to the oral glucose tolerance test,” says Maria Mercedes Chang Villacreses, MD, a clinical endocrinology fellow at the City of Hope Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute in Duarte, California, who introduced the findings at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society but are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Since the fasting blood test requires a person to fast, the OGTT measures the body’s response to sugar it requires a person to fast overnight. First, blood is taken, then the person drinks a sugary drink. Blood is taken again two hours later.

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How Is Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed

Gestational diabetes is regularly diagnosed by measuring blood glucose levels. There are different ways to test for diabetes. Your healthcare provider can identify which test is best for you.

Did You Know?

Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy, affecting four per cent of all pregnant women.You can help manage gestational diabetes by eating well and exercising regularly.

New Recommendations For Hba1c Targets For Type 2 Diabetes: Warranted Or Short

Hemoglobin A1c has been a standard test of long-term average blood glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes for more than a decade, and blood levels above accepted thresholds are used to diagnose both pre-diabetes and diabetes . While it is uniformly accepted that higher HbA1c levels are associated with greater risk of complications from diabetes, as well as the incidence of other diseases, the targets for reducing this biomarker in people with existing diabetes remain open to debate. In particular, aggressive pharmaceutical therapy increases both side effects and costs, which need to be considered when assessing the net benefits accrued from meeting specific HbA1c targets.

Recently the American College of Physicians published less stringent treatment goals than those advocated by the American Diabetes Association , resulting in an open debate between these two trusted medical organizations. As you might expect, this is of considerable interest to us at Virta as we strive to help our patients achieve even lower HbA1c values than either of these organizations recommend.

In other words, the method used to get to a specific HbA1c level will significantly affect the resulting risk-benefit ratio, and thus the appropriate targets will differ depending on the chosen method of treatment. So here, in detail, is how we at Virta justify setting an HbA1c target reflecting better blood glucose control than what is advocated by either the ACP or the ADA.

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Tracking Blood Sugar Control Over Time

One easy, accurate way for us to measure a persons blood sugar over time is the hemoglobin A1c level, which is basically the amount of sugar stuck to the hemoglobin molecules inside of our blood cells. These cells last for about three months, so, the A1c is thought of as a measure of blood sugars over the prior three months.

Generally, clinical guidelines have recommended an A1c goal of less than 7% for most people , with a lower goal closer to normal, or under 6.5% for younger people.

We as doctors were supposed to first encourage diet and exercise, all that good lifestyle change stuff, which is very well studied and shown to decrease blood sugars significantly. But if patients didnt meet those target A1c levels with diet and exercise alone, then per standard guidelines, the next step was to add medications, starting with pills. If the levels still werent at goal, then it was time to start insulin injections.

While all this sounds very orderly and clinically rational, in practice it hasnt worked very well. I have seen firsthand how enthusiastic attention to the A1c can be helpful as well as harmful for patients.

And so have experts from the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians, a well-established academic medical organization. They examined findings from four large diabetes studies that included almost 30,000 people, and made four very important new guidelines around blood sugar control. Heres the big picture.

Underlying Factors For Enhanced A1c For Seniors

Disease Duration: Obviously if the onset is during the middle age, you have suffered longer compared to the onset during your seniors years .Life Expectancy: You are expected to live more or less than 10 yearsRelevant Diabetes and Other Unrelated Medical Symptoms: The diseases and symptoms determine your overall wellbeing, how you function on day-to-day basis.Pancreas Overwhelmed Addressing the Insulin Requirement for Years Up to Senior Life: In many cases it cant support converting your body glucose entirely or partially to energy. The glucose stays on the blood stream resulting in higher A1c.

This accompanied table can help you quickly looking at the conversion if you are more familiar with Mmol/dL. The implications of these numbers In context to health are described following this table.

A1c. Mmol/ dL

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For Those Diagnosed With Diabetes You Can Reduce The Risk Of Complications:

• Monitor blood glucose levels with appropriate testing and an A1C blood test every three months to measure the average amount of sugar in your blood
• If you smoke, it’s never too late to quit
• Be physically active
• Examine feet and skin every day
• Have an eye exam at least once a year
• Have a kidney function test at least once a year
• Visit your healthcare provider regularly

How Often To Get A1c Checked

The frequency of your A1C tests depends on your diabetes goals, how well you’re doing with your management, and your provider’s guidance. If you’ve been recently diagnosed made some changes in your diabetes management, like started a new glucose-lowering medication or had a medical problem or surgery, you may need to have a your A1C checked quarterly. However, if your glucose levels and A1C are pretty stable, you may do well having your A1C checked just twice a year. Talk to your health care provider about how frequently you should have the test and your individual goal.

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What Are The Consequences If High A1c Levels Are Left Untreated

There can be serious consequences if a high A1c isnt treated. Higher than healthy levels of glucose in the bloodstream can damage blood vessels.

The problems that can happen with large blood vessels are called macrovascular disease. And the problems that can happen with small blood vessels are called microvascular disease.

Macrovascular disease: These complications are similar to what we see when someone has high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

• Heart attacks

• Poor blood flow to limbs

Microvascular disease: These complications are more specific to diabetes.

• Vision loss

• Nerve damage

• Kidney damage

High glucose levels also make it more difficult for the immune system to work correctly. Elevated glucose also increases the risk of developing infections.

Navigating The Targets For Hba1c

With more than 100 million U.S. adults living with diabetes and prediabetes,¹ the value of education and treatment for this condition cannot be overstated. The health and economic costs of managing, rather than improving, the complications associated with diabetes necessitate a careful look at the treatment options that are available for this disease.

Summary of Recommendations from the ACP Guidance Statement:âµ

• Clinicians should personalize goals for glycemic control
• Aim to achieve HbA1c 7â8% in most patients
• De-intensify pharmacologic therapy when HbA1c < 6.5%
• Avoid targeting HbA1c level in certain patient populations

The ACP determined that the risks associated with intensive medication therapy aimed at achieving tight HbA1c control were greater than the benefits, asserting that the evidence did not support enough of an improvement in outcomes for patients with an HbA1c of less than 7% versus 7â8%. The statement cited concerns with intensive pharmacologic treatment as it relates to adverse events, medication costs and patient burden, as well as the risk-benefit analysis based upon a patientâs health status.âµ According to the ACP, their guidance statement is consistent with the recommendations of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement guideline from 2014 wherein a recommendation for > 7% â < 8% was provided in order to manage the potential complications of intensive medication therapy.â¶

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Often Asked: What Is A Good A1c

What is a good A1c level?

• For people without diabetes, the normal range for the hemoglobin A1c level is between 4% and 5.6%. Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7% and 6.4% mean you have a higher chance of getting diabetes. Levels of 6.5% or higher mean you have diabetes. The target A1c level for people with diabetes is usually less than 7%.

What To Do If Your A1c Is 66

An A1c of 6.6 falls into the diabetic range between 6.5 and 10.0.

Reducing an A1c of 6.6 will take a combination of medication and lifestyle modifications. Seek medical advice to gain control of your blood sugar and avoid further damage to critical organs.

Keep an eye on your blood sugar by testing at home. Its easier than ever and there are a variety of affordable blood glucose monitors available.

Diabetes is manageable but only if you stick to a plan and monitor your progress with the help of your doctor.

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Large Trial Compared Usual Tools For Assessing For Diabetes In Adults

The researchers looked at data from 9,000 adults, ages 20 years and older, from the 2005-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey . The information collected by the research team included body weight and blood test results.

Based on the fasting blood glucose test and the OGTT, 765 patients were diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes . However, only about 27% of these individuals were classified as having diabetes based on their A1c levels, which is how Dr. Villacreses and her team determined that nearly three-quarters of those at risk for diabetes were not aware that they had this chronic disease, and therefore were not receiving treatment.1

“Most worrisome, 73 % of patients would have missed out on early intervention and treatment,” she tells EndocrineWeb. While the A1c test is convenient, ”we recommend that we do not rely solely on this number,” Dr. Villacreses says.

The guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes from the American Diabetes Association already advise against relying solely on A1c,3 she says. While the American Diabetes Association guidelines specify that diabetes can be diagnosed based on fasting plasma glucose , the OGTT, or the A1c, our findings confirm that reliance on A1c remains the least reliable method for assessing diabetes risk.

What Is The Most Recent Ada Guidelines

There is a new guideline comprising an elevated A1c which can go up to 8.5 or even 9 for adult seniors 65 years of age.Whats the Big Deal with Higher Normal A1c Target?- Incorrect Diagnosis Can Lead to Complex SymptomsFor Diabetes, higher A1c target is a relaxing guideline. Because accomplishing 8 or 8.5-9ish is easier than achieving < 7%. < 7% needs more stringent glycemic control, and higher medication requirement. Using more than adequate medicines when not necessary may cause dangerous low sugar situation. In essence senior patients can be easily misdiagnosed and over treatment harm the body rather than improving. Realizing your normal A1c target range as a senior can help you mitigating the risks.

A1c Number Represents a Reliable and Offers Accurate Diagnosis of Diabetes:

1. They are repeatable2. It is convenient as it doesnt need fasting before the blood sample is withdrawn

American Diabetes Association offers < 7% A1c as the normal target for adults without diabetes.Aging Related A1c Increase With Non-Diabetes

Age in Years. A1c Mmol. Mg/ dL20-39. 6.0%. 42.1 12660 years. 6.5%. 47.5. 160

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