Haemoglobin d trait - how to monitor blood glucose level

[Namsoni]

Hi all,

My brother got diagnosed with diabetes last year. We both have haemoglobin d trait, which basically makes the hba1c test inaccurate (similar to sickle trait) so he may have had it for sometime. Eventually a doctor realised and he got the fructosamine test.

However you can't do this at home and the results take a little while (in the UK). I just wanted to understand what his options are for monitoring his glucose. He has recently had an eye issue where fluid is building at the back of his eye, which is possibly diabetes related (the doctors have said to just wait and see see with this, which doesn't sound great, so any advice on this would be great also). I think he needs someway to monitor his blood glucose levels regularly otherwise other issues may occur. Any advice is much appreciated

 

[Inka]

Would a blood glucose meter work for him @Namsoni ? He could then test at home as much or as little as he wanted.

 

[Inka]

Info below. The meters aren’t too expensive. The most affordable meters people here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £10 for 50 (some strips can cost more like £30 a pot!).

Checking your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Namsoni]

Thank you @Inka I can't find any clear information on the net if these work for people with blood traits, that mean that hba1c is inaccurate. Do you know if they would?

 

[Leadinglights]

I think they should work as the technology is based on an enzyme reaction but you could check by ringing Spirit Heath who are manufacturers of the TEE2 one of the monitors mentioned.

 

[Inka]

Thank you @Inka I can't find any clear information on the net if these work for people with blood traits, that mean that hba1c is inaccurate. Do you know if they would?

I don’t see why they wouldn’t work. They’re not looking at the glycated haemoglobin, just the amount of glucose in the blood. You could email and ask, or ask the GP maybe.

 

[barrym]

I may be talking a load of rubbish here, but would a CGM (eg Libre 2) work? It tests interstitial fluid NOT blood glucose and calculates a blood glucose value.

They are a lot more expensive, but are on prescription where necessary.

HTH

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ll preface this by saying I don’t know the answer, or exactly how home glucose monitors work, but as far as I know they are calibrated for plasma glucose values these days (rather than whole blood), and have been for several decades. I think their values are derived from electrical conductivity following an enzyme reaction.

It may also reassure you to hear that home glucose meters don’t measure the same thing as HbA1c. HbA1c measures glycosylated haemoglobin - how much of your haemoglobin has been affected by circulating blood glucose levels. There isn’t even a direct mathematical conversion between plasma glucose values and HbA1c because while there’s an association between the two, it isn’t a direct relstionship.

 

[Leadinglights]

I’ll preface this by saying I don’t know the answer, or exactly how home glucose monitors work, but as far as I know they are calibrated for plasma glucose values these days (rather than whole blood), and have been for several decades. I think their values are derived from electrical conductivity following an enzyme reaction.

It may also reassure you to hear that home glucose meters don’t measure the same thing as HbA1c. HbA1c measures glycosylated haemoglobin - how much of your haemoglobin has been affected by circulating blood glucose levels. There isn’t even a direct mathematical conversion between plasma glucose values and HbA1c because while there’s an association between the two, it isn’t a direct relstionship.

That is my understanding as well. Tests done in lab settings to test for glucose use by say bacteria or glucose content in solutions use glucose oxidase which is an enzyme reaction and I think the test strips and monitors use a similar technology.