Hemoglobin A1c and Estimated Average Glucose

Hemoglobin A1c or simply as A1c is one of the diagnostic tests for diabetes and its result can illustrate people’s average blood glucose level for the past three months.

The diagnostic A1c level for diabetes is starting from 6.5% and up.

Studies have shown that diabetic patients’ risk of certain diabetes complications, such as eye, kidney, nerve and heart disease, can be decreased significantly even with 1% drop in their A1c.

So what does the result of A1c do for diabetes management?

• guide your physician’s treatment plan.
• assist you to understand how your blood glucose has been managed in a certain period.

The table below demonstrates the relationship between A1c and estimated average glucose (eAG). To get a more accurate idea of what the change in your A1C might be between Doctor's visits, it is best to take a variety of blood sugars (more than 10 is ideal) from different times of the day, and getting the average of those. Add up all the blood sugar readings you want to use in your A1C calculation, then divide that by the number of readings you added up. This will give you your average glucose (or eAG). You can then plug that average into the automatic calculator here. If you have any questions, remember you can always ask your Care Team! Happy testing!