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November is National Diabetes Month.  With the Centers for Disease control reporting an increase in the number of diabetes cases, there is no better time to have a new and more reliable test to detect diabetes.  The new test is a well-known laboratory test called hemoglobin A1c. 

What is hemoglobin A1c? 
It is a simple blood test that can be performed with your regular blood work.  When your body has a lot of glucose, or blood sugar, the sugar particles then attach to your body’s red blood cells.  The word hemoglobin in the test name comes from the connection to red blood cells.  The sugar particles stay attached to the red cells in your blood stream for up to 120 days.  Therefore, your doctor can measure how much glucose, or sugar, has actually circulated in your blood over the past 3 months.

The test has been around for years, but up until now was not used to identify new diabetics.  It was used to see how well blood sugars were controlled in people already known to be diabetic.

Why the hemoglobin A1C Test is Better Than Just Testing Your Blood Sugar Level.
The usual screening test to determine if you are diabetic is a fasting blood sugar.  You cannot eat anything 10 hours before this test is checked.  If your fasting level is greater than 126, then you are considered a diabetic.  However, a single blood sugar level can miss a lot of people who may have diabetes, because blood sugars may vary in each person based on diet and exercise or activity regimen.  Hemoglobin A1c test is not affected by eating right before the test and does not vary by exercise or activity levels.

What hemoglobin A1c Level is Considered Positive for Diabetes?
A national panel of doctors that specialize in diabetes is now asking primary care doctors to identify new diabetic patients by using hemoglobin A1c levels.  If your hemoglobin A1c level is greater than 6.5% then you may have diabetes.

Screening for diabetes should be part of your annual physical visit to your doctor’s office.  If you are overweight, have a family history of diabetes, or have noticed increased urination or thirst, don't wait for your annual visit. Talk to your physician at your next visit about when you should be tested for diabetes.

Take Home Message: The next time you are being screened for diabetes, ask if your doctor is using a simple blood sugar level or a hemoglobin A1c level.

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