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August 4, 2006

A1c (Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c), Diagnosis and Symptoms

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Question from Monterey, California, USA:

I had an A1c done at my last physical. It was at the high end of normal, 5.8%. Due to this high level, I asked my physician for a two hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGGT). My fasting level was 90 mg/dl [5.0 mmol/L] and the two hour level was 104mg/dl [5.8 mmol/L] after the 75 gram drink. My physician has advised that this is completely normal. Is this true? I know that not eating enough carbohydrates can cause a false high result in the OGGT, but is there anything that could cause a false low reading? Why would my A1c be so high? I was under a lot of stress the month preceding the A1c.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

That’s why the A1c isn’t used to diagnose diabetes. Your OGTT was normal, quite normal in fact. There are attributes of red cells that can give invalid A1c results. I really don’t know why yours was as it was, but the GTT was quite normal. Stay active, fit, and maintain a good weight.

LD