Re: A1c (Suz)

[Guest guest]

> Becuz i don't understand your

> blood readings for one and what

> is A1c, stand for.

Suz, I can tell you how the A1c

is taught in Germany. Hold onto

your hat, here goes!

The correct abbreviation is:

HbA1c. Hb is the abbreviation

for the medical term " hemoglobin " .

Hemoglobin is a substance inside

the red blood cells (erythrocytes)

that gives the blood its red color.

It is a combination of a pigment

( " hemo " , a Greek word meaning

" blood " ), containing iron, and a

protein ( " globin " ). Hemoglobin

picks up oxygen in your lungs and

releases it as your blood passes

through your body.

There are several different types

of hemoglobin and hemoglobin A is

the main form in the human body

after infancy. The A stands for

" adult " . HbA1 is the total

hemoglobin that can combine with

the various forms of sugar, HbA1c

is a special type of hemoglobin

that can combine with glucose.

The hemoglobin A1c that has

combined with glucose is called:

glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, and

the percentage of it to your

total hemoglobin A1c is used as

a measure of your weighted

average blood glucose level

during the lifetime of your red

blood cells (about 120 days).

Since your red blood cells are

continuously dying and being

replaced this means that two

thirds of the glycosylated HbA1c

that is measured in your blood

was created during the last 40

days or so and only one third

in the 80 days before that

(roughly speaking).

It is not an exact measurement

and the figures vary from one

laboratory to another. Work is

being done to standardize it

but the figure after the decimal

point is not very important

anyway.

You can say that a normal healthy

person without diabetes has a

gycosylated HbA1c of between 3.5%

to 5.5% and expert opinion is that

diabetics are well-advised to

strive for a glycosylated HbA1c

between 4% and 6%. It is used by

your physician to judge how

effective your medication and

dosage and other activities have

been recently in controlling your

blood glucose level.

This is the same all over the world

and as far as I know there is no

difference between " Canadian HbA1c "

and " US HbA1c " or " Chinese HbA1c "

for that matter!

> Also my sister in law is on the

> metformin is that true what you

> said about it causing more damage.

> If it does why do the drs and

> pharmacies use it if it is bad.

Metformin is not " bad " , Suz! It

is used all over the world by

millions of people but, like almost

everything to do with diabetes, it

has to be taken under medical

supervision.

Somebody taking oral glucose-

lowering medication needs, amongst

other things, to have a blood test

every quarter. There are certain

conditions that can require

treatment with a particular oral

medication to be changed or

suspended. But don't let anybody

tell you that it is " bad " ! I have

taken it for years and it has

enabled me to keep an HbA1c of

around 5.5% all that time

without any ill-effects at all.

Regards

Thornton

Pforzheim, Germany

[Guest guest]

yes, i think that is the most succint explanation i've ever seen!

thanks.

rach

> , thank you for the easy to understand explanation of the A1C

test. I have often wondered how they can test from the last 90 days.

Now I know. I am learning a lot here. Information is power when it

comes to dealing with this disease. Thank you.

>

> Vicki

> From: Thornton

>

>

> Suz, I can tell you how the A1c

> is taught in Germany. Hold onto

> your hat, here goes!