Glycated hemoglobin, or HbA1C, is used to monitor diabetes patients by reflecting their average blood glucose levels over the past two months. It is a modified form of hemoglobin found in red blood cells, and its level is checked every three to six months with a goal of less than 7% of total hemoglobin.
Glycated hemoglobin is a modified form of hemoglobin found in most people’s blood. Checking its blood level against the normal hemoglobin level is performed to monitor patients with diabetes mellitus, and the value corresponds to the patients’ average blood glucose levels over the past two months. Many doctors measure the level of glycated hemoglobin and use the information in choosing treatment for a patient’s diabetes.
Hemoglobin is an oxygen-carrying molecule present in red blood cells. Each hemoglobin molecule is made up of four polypeptide chains linked together by a series of chemical bonds. If hemoglobin is exposed to an environment with high concentrations of oxygen, it can bind four oxygen molecules. This oxygen is later released to peripheral tissues that need oxygen.
Glucose is the primary sugar that the body uses for food. It can be obtained in the diet from carbohydrate-rich foods, or obtained from the breakdown of proteins and fats. Many tissues, including red blood cells and the brain, depend on obtaining glucose molecules from the blood to function properly.
Glucose molecules are able to enter red blood cells to serve as fuel. While in the cell, glucose can bind to one end of one of hemoglobin’s polypeptide chains in a process called glycosylation. This reaction is officially called nonenzymatic glycosylation because the reaction proceeds without the help of a protein called an enzyme; under other circumstances, the enzyme would help speed up chemical reactions. In normal patients, 5% of total hemoglobin is glycosylated or glycated hemoglobin.
Patients with diabetes mellitus have high blood glucose levels due to problems with the hormone insulin. Non-diabetics have a fasting blood glucose level of less than 100 micrograms per deciliter, while diabetics have a level of at least 126 micrograms per deciliter. The higher level of circulating glucose in patients with diabetes causes more glucose to enter red blood cells. The result is increased non-enzymatic glycosylation and a higher glycated hemoglobin level.
Glycated hemoglobin is used clinically as an indicator of the glucose levels patients have in their blood. It is also called hemoglobin A1C, which is further abbreviated as HbA1C. The level reflects the average blood glucose level a patient has had over the past two months because red blood cells, and therefore the hemoglobin contained in red blood cells, have a half-life of approximately 60 days. Checking the glycated hemoglobin offers an advantage over simply checking the blood glucose level, because it provides information about glucose control over an extended period; blood glucose level just provides a snapshot of what your glucose level is at any given moment.
In diabetic patients, the glycated hemoglobin level is usually checked every three to six months. The goal for most patients is for glycated hemoglobin to be less than 7% of total hemoglobin, which corresponds to an average blood glucose level of about 154 micrograms per deciliter. Doctors often use measurement as a way to choose a treatment plan for diabetic patients. Rising levels could indicate the need to add another diabetes drug to a patient’s regimen.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
