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November 30, 2002

A1c (Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c), Diagnosis and Symptoms

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Question from Fountain Valley, California, USA:

My son had been taking insulin for over a year, and his A1c level has been 5.3% which suggests values is for someone without diabetes. What does this A1c result mean? Does my son have diabetes or not?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

This hemoglobin A1c reflects an average blood sugar of around 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] for the past three months. The diagnosis of diabetes is not supported or confirmed by this test result.

If your son met standard criteria for diabetes prior to the diagnosis of diabetes prior to initiating insulin therapy, then he has diabetes. To review the criteria, see Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes.

MSB