The Best Home A1C Tests of 2023 by a Nurse Practitioner

May 24, 2023 0 Comments

A1C measures the subform of hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood throughout your body. Sugar attaches to the A1C molecule, and with high blood sugar levels, the proportion of A1C in hemoglobin also increases. Elevated A1C can cause health problems, such as diabetes.

The term A1C test refers to a blood test used to measure the amount of glucose, or sugar bound to hemoglobin, in your blood. “Excessive presence of this compound in the blood indicates diabetes or prediabetes,” says Casey Kelly, a family physician and integrative medicine specialist.

Generally, A1C measures your blood sugar levels over the past three months. Doctors and health care providers commonly use the A1C test to see if you have prediabetes or to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Other names for the A1C test include hemoglobin A1C, glycated hemoglobin, or glycohemoglobin test.

A phlebotomist will perform these tests in the doctor’s office. Like other blood tests, blood is drawn from a vein and sent to a laboratory for analysis. An alternative way to check your A1C is to provide a sample with a home finger prick test.

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