HBA1C
TEST – SCI & TECH
News:
What is the HbA1C test
and why is it used to check for diabetes? | Explained
What's
in the news?
●
India is estimated to have 10.13 crore people with diabetes and
another 13.6 crore people who are pre-diabetic, according to a nationwide study
published in 2023.
Key
takeaways:
●
This apart, over 35% of Indians suffer
from hypertension and nearly 40% from abdominal obesity, both of which are risk
factors for diabetes.
●
India
accounts for 17% of all diabetes patients in the world.
●
Prevention and early detection are key to
helping combat this non-communicable disease burden.
●
According to 2018 ICMR guidelines,
everyone older than 30 years should be screened for diabetes.
HbA1C
Test:
●
It is one of the most commonly-used tests to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes
(both type 1 and type 2) and to help manage diabetes.
●
It is also known as the glycated haemoglobin or glycosylated
haemoglobin test.
●
Hemoglobin is the part of your red blood
cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
●
It is an important blood test that gives a
good indication of how well your diabetes is being controlled.
Mechanism:
●
Sugar enters your bloodstream from the
food you eat. The sugar, or glucose, attaches to the haemoglobin in your red
blood cells. Haemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen to all the cells
of your body.
●
Everybody has some sugar attached to their
haemoglobin. Those with pre-diabetes and diabetes, however, have more.
●
The HbA1C test measures the percentage of
your red blood cells that have sugar-coated, or glycated, haemoglobin.
Normal
Levels:
●
Non-Diabetics:
An HbA1C level below 5.7% is normal.
●
Pre-Diabetes:
Levels between 5.7% and 6.4% may indicate pre-diabetes.
●
Diabetes:
A level of 6.5% or higher on two separate tests indicates diabetes.
Limitations:
●
While highly useful, the HbA1C test might
not capture daily spikes or dips in blood sugar levels and could be influenced
by conditions like anemia or certain genetic factors. It’s often used alongside
other tests for a comprehensive view of a person’s glucose control.
Go
back to basics:
Diabetes:
●
It is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot make good
use of the insulin it produces.
○
Insulin
is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
●
Not being able to produce or use insulin
effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycaemia.
●
Over the long-term high glucose levels are
associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.
●
Diabetes is a major cause of blindness,
kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation.