Your medical provider can use the hemoglobin A1C blood test to determine if you are pre-diabetic or diabetic. This blood test measures the percentage of hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells) in the blood that has glucose (sugar) attached to it over an average amount of time. This test is typically checked on a 3 month basis because that is the average lifespan of a red blood cell. A hemoglobin A1C has added benefit because it is an indicator of your average blood sugars over the previous 3 months. This is different than spot checking your blood sugar because blood sugar is just a measurement at one point in time influenced by many factors (before eating, after eating, sick, overnight, etc.)
A lower hemoglobin A1C represents better blood sugar control, meaning that you are not insulin resistant, pre-diabetic, or diabetic. Higher hemoglobin A1C percentages are indicative that you may need to change lifestyle habits and/or start medications to help lower your blood sugar because it is too high and your body can no longer process the excess sugar correctly - it is overloaded.
It is important to understand how you are determined to be non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, or diabetic based on this value. If you are non-diabetic when you start your GLP-1a, you will likely remain non-diabetic as you employ lifestyle changes and healthy habits. If you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, this medication will likely help you move towards becoming non-diabetic. We hope this helps you understand how diabetes is diagnosed and why this number is so important!
コメント