What is a better gauge in diagnosing diabetes, fasting/random blood glucose or A1C?
My mother has had three glucose tests in recent months. The first was fasting and her blood glucose was 118, second was random and it was 128, and the last was fasting and came back today a much lower 104.
Here’s the scary part that pressed me to inquiry: When her GP called her today, she said although her blood sugar was 104, the A1C was 6.9, and therefore indicates definite diabetes.
My mother then called her endocrinologist regarding the same results (who she already sees for thyroid), and he was about to hang up not even making mention of the A1C. When she brought it to his attention, and how her GP said it indicated diabetes, he didn’t seem to find it very concerning and told her not to worry.
I know an endo will be more expert when it comes to diabetes, but her GP telling her she has the disease was pretty stunning and is leaving us with a lot of questions. She made an appt with the endo, but in the meantime I am in need of input on this. IS the A1C of 6.9 enough to diagnose as diabetic, despite the glucose tests not being that high? Thank you so much!
Other than being 20lbs overweight, she has not had any symptoms, the glucose tests were just added on to her regular thyroid tests as an added measure.
an A1c of 6.9 shows that her average blood sugar over the last 90 days has been nearly 150 mg/dL. A finger test only tells you what your level is at the time of the test, and since it was fasting, it doesn’t tell you how high the numbers are two hours after a meal.
The endo may not be as concerned as the GP if a slight rise in blood sugar was expected as a side effect of other hormone treatments. 6.9 is very manageable with better diet and exercise.
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A1C is an indication of long-standing elevations in blood sugar. Both lab abnormalities (elevated fasting glucose and A1C) are significant indications of potential diabetes. Your mother is clearly at risk.
Best wishes and good luck.
References :
an A1c of 6.9 shows that her average blood sugar over the last 90 days has been nearly 150 mg/dL. A finger test only tells you what your level is at the time of the test, and since it was fasting, it doesn’t tell you how high the numbers are two hours after a meal.
The endo may not be as concerned as the GP if a slight rise in blood sugar was expected as a side effect of other hormone treatments. 6.9 is very manageable with better diet and exercise.
References :
You say your mom had 3 tests – 2 fasting and 1 not. According to her fasting numbers, she is what they call "pre-diabetic" nowadays. The answer stating the 6.9 A1C indicates an average blood sugar of 150 is correct. It looks like she could be diabetic. Her GP could do other testing and giver her a script for a test kit. She could keep track of her sugar and report the results to her doctor. They could take it from there. Endocrinologists are "diabetes specialists" and his answer is a bit of a surprise.
I believe it is the American Diabetic Association that has been talking about the posibility of using the A1C as a benchmark to diagnose diabetes. Which is better? In my opinion the best is the use of both tests. The fasting test shows if your sugars are under control at the point in time. The A1C gives a picture of average blood sugar over the past 3 months.
Check it out further with both doctors. If you aren’t satisfied, get a 3rd opinion. Good luck! – From a 10 yr T2 diabetic
References :
http://diabetes.webmd.com/features/beyond-blood-sugar-testing-a1c
http://www.diabetes.org/eag.jsp?WTLPromo=HP_eAG