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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Medical Specialists > Endocrinology (including Diabetes) > A1C
Expert: Barb - 10/28/2009
Question
Could you tell me what "A1C" stands for or means? I keep on seeing but nowhere is it defined. Is it the name of a gene? I understand the test but I am puzzled by the term A1C. Thanks, Frank
Answer
Hi Frank,
The term "A1c" is a short-hand way of referring to a blood test, the glycated hemoglobin(or HbA1C) test.
In the blood, glucose (sugar) and fats combine to form a sort of coating -- kind of like cake frosting -- on red blood cells (hemoglobin). The higher a person's blood glucose level, the higher the percentage of blood cells that have this coating. Since the average life span for a red blood cell is 90 days, this is an effective way of measuring how good a diabetic's control of their blood glucose has been for the previous 90 days.
A non-diabetic would have an A1c of between 4% and 6%, with 5 being the average. So a diabetic's GOAL is to get their A1C level under 7, preferably close to 6.
I hope this helps you to understand!
Barb
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