May 12, 2008
A1c (Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c), Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Cleveland, Tennessee:
My 11-year-old son is having symptoms of thirst, stomach aches, weakness, nausea (no vomiting), and headaches especially after physical activity. He weighs 66 pounds and is 54 inches tall. He has a very high metabolism and is very active in wrestling. I work in occupational health so I checked his A1c. It was 5.6. I thought a child should be under 4. There is one case of type 1 diabetes in family (his uncle was diagnosed at age eight), much type 2.Am I wrong about the normal A1c for children? Should I push his physician to do a glucose tolerance test?
Answer:
Presently, no one is recommending diagnosing diabetes with A1c. Blood glucose is the way to go and a fasting glucose of 126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/L] on two occasions is the way to diagnose. Obviously, symptoms and a glucose of over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L] also diagnose diabetes. You don’t need a glucose tolerance test. The 5.6 you found is considered normal.
LD
[Editor’s comment: See also our page on the Symptoms of Diabetes.
BH]
