HbA1C | Diabetes

HbA1C

An article in Hindu | What is the HbA1C test and why is it used to check for diabetes?

  • Also known as the glycated haemoglobin or glycosylated haemoglobin test
  • Most commonly-used tests to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and to help manage diabetes
  • Working – Measures the percentage of your red blood cells that have sugar-coated, or glycated, haemoglobin
    • Haemoglobin – A protein that transports oxygen to all the cells of your body
  • Conditions under which test results changes – Kidney or liver failure, severe anaemia or a blood disorder, early or late pregnancy etc.
  • Remains one of the best to assess long-term control of diabetes, without a replacement to traditional tests
  • Traditional vs. HbA1C test –
Traditional MethodHbA1C Test
Gives blood sugar levels within a specific time frame (Fasting and post-prandial or post-meal)Reflects your average blood glucose levels over the last 2 to 3 months  
May fluctuate depending on items in the person’s latest meal and when they last consumed itIndependent of these variables, making it more reliable i.e irrespective of when the latest meal was consumed
  • chronic disease 
  • Occurs – When the body cannot make good use of the insulin pancreas produces or pancreas cannot make insulin any more
    • Insulin – A hormone that regulates blood glucose of the body
  • Hyperglycaemia – Condition in which the body cannot produce or use insulin effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood
  • Effects – Long-term high glucose levels leads to damage or failure of various organs and tissues
  • Major causes of – Blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation
  • Diabetics in India – According to a nationwide study published in 2023 –
    • Estimated to have 10.13 crore people with diabetes and 13.6 crore people are pre-diabetic
    • Accounts for 17% of all diabetes patients in the world
    • Over 35% of Indians suffer from hypertension and nearly 40% from abdominal obesity, both of which are risk factors for diabetes
  • Type 1 diabetes
    • A condition in which your immune system destroys insulin-making cells (beta cells)in your pancreas
    • Body produces very little or no insulin
    • Requires daily supply of insulin to maintain blood glucose levels under control
    • Diagnosed in – Children and young people, called as juvenile diabetes
    • Symptoms – Excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes, and fatigue
  • Type 2 diabetes
    • Occurs due to the body’s ineffective use of insulin that it produces
    • More than 95% of people having diabetes are of type 2 diabetes
    • Largely results in excess body weight and physical inactivity
    • Symptoms similar to those of type 1 diabetes but are often less marked.
  • Gestational diabetes (GDM)
    • A type of diabetes that consists of high blood glucose during pregnancy 
    • Associated with complications for both mother and child
    • Usually disappears after pregnancy
    • But once women affected , their children are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Source: The Hindu


Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy:
1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women.
2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of childbirth.
3. It provides for periodic deworming. to children and adolescents.
4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
How many of the statements given above are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]


(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four 

Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct:
The AMB Strategy does provide for prophylactic iron and folic acid supplementation, which is essential for haemoglobin production, but it doesn’t focus on calcium supplementation. 


Practice Question

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test in comparison to traditional methods for assessing blood sugar levels?

 
 
 
 

Question 1 of 1

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