What is HBA1C?

Question

What is HBA1C?

Answer 1

Hemoglobin A1C, also known as Glycosylated Hemoglobin, is an average measurement of glucose stored in the red blood cells level over a period of about 4 months (the circulating lifespan of a red blood cell is 120 days).    

Normal is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-6%.  It is most commonly ordered for patients who are diabetic as a way to monitor their success in being able to keep their blood sugar under control.  So no cheating if you are supposed to be monitoring your blood sugar... they can tell!

Answer 2

HgbA1C is an abbreviation for Hemoglobin A 1 C. It is a measure of the portion of hemoglobin molecule that have a glucose bonded to the amino end of the protein chain. Since red cells last about 120 days in the blood stream. The HgbA1C is a measure of how high the glucose has been over the last two months on average.