Confused by HBa1c & Mmol

[Gruers]

I’m confused by the various readings I’m coming across
Mmol HbAc1 (Ifoc) (bcc) mg/dl %
What do they mean and which should I be concerned with
Thank you

 

[Bruce Stephens]

There are only two, really: what's your blood glucose at a point in time, and HbA1c which gives an indication of average blood glucose levels over 3 months. Both differ in units from country to country (and in the UK we've recently changed the HbA1c units).

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m confused by the various readings I’m coming across
Mmol HbAc1 (Ifoc) (bcc) mg/dl %
What do they mean and which should I be concerned with
Thank you

Ah yes! That ole conundrum!

There are two main measurements for blood glucose in diabetes

1. HbA1c
This a count of how much or how little the red blood cells in your circulatory system have been affected by glucose in your blood stream. The more glucose in your blood, the more red blood cells get affected. Red blood cells last for around 120 days, so HbA1c gives an idea of glucose levels during that period.

This is currently expressed in IFCC units of mmol/mol (millimoles per mol) with a suggested target of 48.

It used to be expressed as a percentage of red blood cells. 48mmol/mol is the same as 6.5%. Some of us who have been playing the game for a while have trouble thinking in ‘new numbers’ and keep using % values. Sorry about that!

This test is most often venous blood taken at the surgery and sent to a lab

2. Fingerstick / capillary blood glucose
This is a measurement that can be taken at home with a BG meter and strips. It is a snapshot of blood glucose concentration in your fingertips at that moment. These values vary during the day, particularly after food, and after and during exercise and activity.

The UK expresses these values in mmol/L (millimoles per litre). Target ranges for people with diabetes should be individually agreed with your Dr, but would generally be between 4-9mmol/L.

The US, France and various other countries use mg/dl (milligrams per decilitre). You can convert mg/dl into mmol/l by dividing by 18. Eg 100mg/dl = 5.5mmol/l (more or less)

 

[Gruers]

Thank you that’s great