What is the difference between hemoglobin a1c and hemoglobin

Is there a simple connection between blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c? Blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c are connected, but they are different, too.

Your blood sugar meter measures the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream at the instant you prick your finger.

Blood sugar levels vary throughout the day. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member? Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. We further used generalized additive models and smooth curve fittings to explore potential non-linearity in the association between Hb and HbA1c levels.

Baseline characteristics for our study group, which included men and women, are presented in Table 1. Men had higher levels of education, and a higher BMI than women. The results are presented in Table 2. The results of generalized additive models and smooth curve fittings further confirmed this inverse associaton between Hb and HbA1c levels Figs. The association between hemoglobin and hemoglobin A1c. Age, sex, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood glucose, white blood cell count, and red blood cell count were adjusted.

The association between hemoglobin and hemoglobin A1c, stratified by sex. Age, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood glucose, white blood cell count, and red blood cell count were adjusted.

The association between hemoglobin and hemoglobin A1c, stratified by age. In this study, we evaluated a large sample of Chinese non-diabetes adults to explore the association between Hb levels within the normal range and HbA1c levels.

Our results showed that Hb levels were independently and negatively associated with HbA1c levels in both men and women. Anemia is a common condition, clinically defined as a hematocrit value or blood Hb level that is below the normal range. Anemia is often associated with diabetes and is known to increase the risk of diabetes-related complications [ 15 ]. However, previous studies that investigated the association between Hb and HbA1c levels in patients with anemia have yielded contradictory conclusions.

While several studies have reported that HbA1c level was significantly higher in individuals with anemia [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], others did not identify a difference in HbA1c levels between individuals with anemia and healthy controls [ 19 ], or found a lower HbA1c level in patients with anemia [ 20 ].

Recently, Grossman et al. Although they found that Hb levels were significantly lower among individuals in the highest HbA1c quintile than among individuals in the other quintiles, the correlation between HbA1c and Hb levels was negligible.

In our study, the correlation between Hb levels in the normal range and HbA1c levels was positive in the unadjusted model but became non-significant after adjusting for age and sex and became negative after adjustment for potential confounding factors.

Differences in the reported association between Hb and HbA1c levels between studies might reflect the differences in study design and confounding variables used for adjustment. The HbA1c test is easy to perform, making it widely available as an ideal tool for busy primary care and endocrine practices [ 22 ].

However, the HbA1c level is impacted by numerous factors, such as race, RBC disorders, and hemoglobinopathies [ 23 ]. Moreover, iron deficiency anemia may cause a spurious increase in HbA1c values [ 24 ]. Our findings supported an independent negative association between Hb and HbA1c levels among non-diabetes adults with normal Hb levels, with this relationship being stable in both men and women.

Therefore, our results can be generalized to the entire Chinese population. The limitations of our study also need to be acknowledged. A longitudinal study is warranted in this regard. Therefore, our conclusions are not generalizable to these populations. Third, although we adjusted for several important potential confounders, other potential confounding factors, including hemoglobinopathies, iron deficiency, drug use, menstruation status, hypothyroidism, and chronic kidney disease, may have introduced bias.

The results of our study differed according to the model used, as the association between Hb and HbA1c levels was affected by the choice of the covariates included in the model, such as the RBC count. However, conditions such iron deficiency and altered RBC lifespan, which may also have important effects on the association between Hb and HbA1c levels, were not included in the CHNS surveys.

Therefore, further large sample prospective studies that include measurements of these additional variables are warranted. J Diab Invest.

Plasma adipsin as a biomarker and its implication in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diab Metab Syndr Obes. Genetics of diabetes mellitus and diabetes complications. Nat Rev Nephrol. Article Google Scholar. Laakso M. Biomarkers for type 2 diabetes. Thus, glucose reading on your glucometer of is milligrams of glucose per deciliter of plasma. Your doctor is interested in your A1c, or the amount of glycated hemoglobin in your blood, because it reflects your average blood glucose levels over the past three months.

The normal average range for A1c varies with age and many other factors, but in general, for most otherwise healthy adults, the range is below 5. Your glucose meter will show you how much glucose is in your blood at the moment you prick your finger and sample the drop of blood.

Using a glucose meter is a way to see the effects of the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you do, and the medications you take to manage your blood sugar.

Many people with diabetes aim to keep their blood sugar levels as close to the normal range as possible, which is around 80 milligrams per deciliter before a meal and less than mg per deciliter two hours after a meal.

You and your doctor will determine the best target range for you. The HbA1c test is not used for gestational diabetes , a type of diabetes that only affects pregnant women, or for diagnosing diabetes in children. Also, if you have anemia or another type of blood disorder , an HbA1c test may be less accurate for diagnosing diabetes. If you have one of these disorders and are at risk for diabetes, your health care provider may recommend different tests.

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. What is a hemoglobin A1c HbA1c test?

Other names: HbA1c, A1c, glycohemoglobin, glycated hemoglobin, glycosylated hemoglobin. What is it used for? If you already have diabetes, an HbA1c test can help monitor your condition and glucose levels. Why do I need an HbA1c test? If you are under 45, you may need this test if you have certain risk factors.

These include: Being overweight or obese High blood pressure History of heart disease Physical inactivity Testing should be done every 3 years, and more frequently if your results show you have prediabetes. You may also need an HbA1c test if you have symptoms of diabetes. These include: Increased thirst Increased urination Blurred vision Fatigue.