Hemoglobin A1c provides information about glucose control:

Hemoglobin A1c provides information about glucose control:

• A. Shows what the glucose level has done during the last 3 months.
• B. Shows how a high level of glucose can cause a significant drop in the hemoglobin level.
• C. Indicates a true picture of the patients nutritional state.
• D. Reflects the effect of a high level of glucose on the ability to produce red blood cells (RBCs).

Answer: (A)

Hemoglobin A1c measures long-term glycemic control by exploiting the fact that red blood cells live about 120 days. Glucose attaches irreversibly to hemoglobin over the life of the cell, so the percentage of glycated hemoglobin reflects the average blood glucose that the patient has experienced over the previous roughly two to three months. This makes HbA1c a marker of sustained glucose exposure, not a snapshot of today’s level. It does not indicate a nutritional state, nor does it reflect a drop in hemoglobin caused by high glucose, and it isn’t a test of red blood cell production or erythropoiesis. So the statement that best describes what HbA1c provides is information about glucose control over the last few months.

Hemoglobin A1c measures long-term glycemic control by exploiting the fact that red blood cells live about 120 days. Glucose attaches irreversibly to hemoglobin over the life of the cell, so the percentage of glycated hemoglobin reflects the average blood glucose that the patient has experienced over the previous roughly two to three months. This makes HbA1c a marker of sustained glucose exposure, not a snapshot of today’s level.

It does not indicate a nutritional state, nor does it reflect a drop in hemoglobin caused by high glucose, and it isn’t a test of red blood cell production or erythropoiesis. So the statement that best describes what HbA1c provides is information about glucose control over the last few months.