What Is the Meaning of an A1C Test?
When you have diabetes, you and your diabetes specialist will try to keep your blood glucose level under control and at an optimum level. An A1C test is one way to make sure you're on the right track.
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Significance
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If your blood sugar is uncontrolled, or high, the excess glucose enters your blood cells then glycates, or hooks up with your molecules of hemoglobin.
Function
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An A1C test gives you and your diabetes specialist an average of your blood glucose levels for a two- to three-month time frame or the lifespan of red blood cells.
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Test
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For your A1C test, a health care professional will prick your fingertip or insert a needle in your arm and take a blood sample. The sample is either tested in your doctor's office or sent to a lab.
Results
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Your diabetes specialist might want your A1C test result to be 7 percent or less. If you have uncontrolled diabetes over a long period of time, you could have an A1C test result of 25 percent or higher, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Benefits
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Good blood glucose levels ensure that the start of diabetes complications such as blood vessel damage are delayed or prevented. Also, an A1C test can confirm whether the treatment is working.
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