Last updated on 16th Oct 2021 - By Dwayne Michaels

How Abnormal HBA1C affects heart?

Persistent elevations in blood sugar (and, therefore, HbA1c) increase the risk of long-term vascular complications of diabetes, such as coronary disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, blindness, gangrene, and gastroparesis. Poor blood glucose control also increases the risk of short-term complications of surgery such as poor wound healing.

Sugar sticks to things, and when it has been stuck to something for a long time, it's harder to the get sugar (glucose) off. In the body, sugar sticks too, particularly to proteins. The red blood cells that circulate in the body live for about three months before they die.

When sugar (glucose) sticks to these red blood cells by binding to hemoglobin A1c, it gives the doctor an idea of how much glucose has been around in the blood for the preceding three months. Hemoglobin A1c is a minor component of hemoglobin to which glucose binds.

Someone without diabetes will have about 5 percent of their hemoglobin glycated. A normal A1C level is 5.6 percent or below, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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A level of 5.7 to 6.4 percent indicates prediabetes. People with diabetes have an A1C level of 6.5 percent or above.

HbA1c test stands for glycated or glycosylated hemoglobin test. This test helps measure average blood sugar levels for the past 3 months. This test is essential for every person who has diabetes. Other names of this test are glycohemoglobin test, A1c test, or simply A1c.

The formation of the sugar-hemoglobin linkage indicates the presence of excessive sugar in the bloodstream, often indicative of diabetes. A1C is of particular interest because it is easy to detect. The process by which sugars attach to hemoglobin is called glycation.

HbA1c testing is done on a blood sample. Because HbA1c is not affected by short-term fluctuations in blood glucose concentrations, for example, due to meals, blood can be drawn for HbA1c testing without regard to when food was eaten. Fasting for the blood test is not necessary.

Glycated hemoglobin testing is recommended for both checking the blood sugar control in people who might be prediabetic and monitoring blood sugar control in patients with more elevated levels, termed diabetes mellitus.

For a single blood sample, it provides far more revealing information on glycemic behavior than a fasting blood sugar value. However, fasting blood sugar tests are crucial in making treatment decisions.

The ADA guidelines are similar to others in advising that the glycated hemoglobin test be performed at least twice a year in patients with diabetes who are meeting treatment goals and quarterly in patients with diabetes whose therapy has changed or who are not meeting glycemic goals.

For diagnostic purposes, the test results may be as follows:

• Pre-diabetes: 5.7–6.4%
• Normal/ Healthy: Below 5.7%
• Diabetes: 6.5% or more

There are certain factors and some medical conditions that can change the HbA1c result slightly and even lead to a higher reading. The factors are:

• Blood transfusion
• Low iron levels
• Certain blood-related conditions
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Recent blood loss