When your glycemia are checked at home, you can know how your glucose level is at that time, but this does not allow you to know how your control has been the rest of the time.
Glycosylated hemoglobin (HB A1C) is a test that allows you to know the average blood glucose levels more rightly, during the last 3 to 4 months.
This happens because sugar is "sticky" therefore glucose adheres to the organism's proteins, including hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen through blood and traveling through the bloodstream for approximately 6 months, collecting the glucose that adheres to it.
If there is excess blood sugar during that time, hemoglobin will contain more glucose.
In a person without diabetes around 5 to 7% of hemoglobin is glycosiladof blood glucose during that time (3 to 4 months).The following table will indicate the average of your glycemias according to the result of your glycosylated hemoglobin.
Glycosylated hemoglobin...Prom of glycemia..Qualification
5-6 %.................80-120 mg/dl..........Excellent
6-7 %.................120-150 mg/dl.........Very good
7-8 %.................150-180 mg/dl.........Well
8-9 %.................180-210 mg/dl.........Regular
9-10 %................210-240 mg/dl.........Problematic
10-11 %...............240-270 mg/dl.........Bad
11-12 %...............270-300 mg/dl.........Very bad
Final comments
1- It is recommended that people with type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) take this test every 3 months, while people with type 2 diabetes (which do not require insulin) can check their glycosylated hemoglobin twice per year.
2- The glycosylated hemoglobin test is very important, however it cannot replace the monitoring of glycemia, since it cannot measure its daily control and therefore does not allow it to adjust its insulin doses and food intake in the dayday.
3- Glycosylated hemoglobin levels must be kept at levels as close to normal (5 to 7%) as possible, to avoid problems caused by poorly controlled diabetes.
4- This test must be performed in a laboratory and does not require that you are fasting.