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November 11, 2005

A1c (Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c)

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Question from Gillette, Wyoming, USA:

My four year old son was diagnosed with type 1 in May 2005. He is only on one unit of Lantus and his blood sugar stays in range 99% of the time (range of 80 to 200 mg/dl [4.4 to 11.1 mmol/L] with four daily blood sugar checks). His first A1c, 7.6%, was done at diagnosis. We just had his second A1c done and it was 4.9%. His pediatric endocrinologist said he would call us if the results concerned him, and since we didn’t get a phone call, we assumed 4.9% was okay

After telling other parents of type 1 children, they had a shocked look on their face. So, I looked up the normal ranges for his age and it looks like he’s almost below the normal range for someone WITHOUT diabetes. This concerns me. We already check him four times a day, but I’m afraid he must be having lows that we’re not catching.

Should we be concerned or just be grateful that his A1c is low and not high?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

You should be grateful for your wonderful honeymoon. In most laboratories, 4.9 is normal. Remember that little children have lower glucose than adults. I expect all is okay.

LD