August 27, 2009
A1c (Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c), Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Washington, USA:
When my son was born, I was told he would be at a higher risk for diabetes since I was a brittle diabetic when I was pregnant with him and on insulin by the time I was four months along. Over the last two months, he has lost 10 pounds and had trouble with abdominal pain and nausea. We have been checking his fasting blood sugars. Yesterday it was 131 mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L] and today it was 116 mg/dl [6.4 mmol/L]. When the doctor had us check his fasting blood sugars in the past, they were in the 90s mg/dl [5.0 to 5.5 mmol/L] for fasting. I am going to keep checking his fasting sugars for about a week, then go to the doctor with the information and ask for an A1c or should I do this now? My son will be 18 in October.
Answer:
The risk for a child of a mom with type 1 is about 2 to 5%. For child of a dad with type 1, the risk is a bit higher, about 3 to 6%.
The numbers you are getting are mildly abnormal. Check ketones and do a full profile i.e., pre- and one to two hours post- meals for days. Then, get the A1c and maybe also three antibodies in consultation with your diabetologist.
SE
