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hba1c testing

3a is mild to moderate, not severe until Stage 4.
 
silentsquirrel said:
3a is mild to moderate, not severe until Stage 4.
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yes, I've seen 3b classed as moderate to severe tho (if my eGFR drops by 2 points I'm in that category). I guess it depends on how Boots views severity
 
Leadinglights said:
At least they have identified people for whom the test will not be suitable.
The problem with those tests is the accuracy but it depends on whether they use a venous blood sample or just a finger prick sample which is capillary blood as they do vary and the result would likely be slightly different to the test done by the NHS if so. May only be a problem if people are borderline.
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When I was in the earlier part of my diabetes journey, I used several of these tests (they are available singly and smaller boxes too).

millermedicalsupplies.com

A1CNOW®+ Hba1c Whole Blood Tester

Hba1c testing
millermedicalsupplies.com millermedicalsupplies.com

I did 2 "calibrations", on the same days as hospital A1cs (blood draw, then fingerprick withing 5 minutes). My results were identical and +0.1% in each instance. Personally, I'll take that.
 
s'nic said:
@Bruce Stephens, @Eddy Edson , @Docb
So if I didn't want to wait until next january for a bha1c, and I couldn't get a hba1c included in july when my kidney / cholesterol blood tests are done it should be valid enough to show if my diet and weight loss were moving my hba1c in the right direction?
Bearing in mind I have cdk stage 3a, and it said not suitable for those with severe kidney disease. Not sure what stage they would class as severe, but if it has similar accuracy to labs, I assume it would be similarly valid :confused:
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There's also Monitor My Health. It is run out of the NHS labs in Exeter, so assured of lab standards.

Our Tests

monitormyhealth.org.uk monitormyhealth.org.uk
 
AndBreathe said:
When I was in the earlier part of my diabetes journey, I used several of these tests (they are available singly and smaller boxes too).
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you bought them off that site? It talks of being for clinicians so seems to give the impression it's for medical people.
Thanks, I've bookmarked both just in case.
 
s'nic said:
you bought them off that site? It talks of being for clinicians so seems to give the impression it's for medical people.
Thanks, I've bookmarked both just in case.
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No. That was just the first link that came up. I actually bought from here. It’s very close to home, so I could collect if I wanted to.

A1c Now Self Check

BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a market leader in the provision of point-of-care diagnostics
home.bhr.co.uk home.bhr.co.uk
 
I don't know anything about the machine that Boots use but when I went on the diabetes prevention course a few years ago they used a machine there which gave me a reading of 35. When the GP sent a test sent to the hospital labs it was 42. I was surprised. He did not seem interested in the result I had from diabetes prevention as he was only interested in what our hospital laboratory told him.

I did read here quite a while back now that someone had said that some of the machines they used on the prevention programmes were not accurate and a similar thing had happened to them so maybe that is why the GP was not terribly interested in my reading.
 
Maz2 said:
I don't know anything about the machine that Boots use but when I went on the diabetes prevention course a few years ago they used a machine there which gave me a reading of 35. When the GP sent a test sent to the hospital labs it was 42. I was surprised. He did not seem interested in the result I had from diabetes prevention as he was only interested in what our hospital laboratory told him.

I did read here quite a while back now that someone had said that some of the machines they used on the prevention programmes were not accurate and a similar thing had happened to them so maybe that is why the GP was not terribly interested in my reading.
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Unless the test is done from a blood sample from your arm rather than a finger prick then it is unlikely that it will be anything other than and estimate based on extrapolating the concentration of glucose in your blood at that moment in time rather than the proper test looking at glycosylated red cells on an instrument costing thousands of pounds not one costing a few hundred.
 
Leadinglights said:
Unless the test is done from a blood sample from your arm rather than a finger prick then it is unlikely that it will be anything other than and estimate based on extrapolating the concentration of glucose in your blood at that moment in time rather than the proper test looking at glycosylated red cells on an instrument costing thousands of pounds not one costing a few hundred.
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Yes that is what I understand. It is good that Boots are doing this for those who want it and I thought of having another one before next year by going there. I am concerned though it might give me a "false sense of security" so may wait until GP does another via the hospital. It makes sense if the hospital equipment costs thousands rather than hundreds. I have asked my GP previously if I can have more than one hba1c a year (I am pre-diabetic) and was told no. I also mentioned it to the Diabetic Nurse this year and she said said GPs would not agree to it.

I did get my hba1c back to normal, albeit higher side, but, unfortunately, it has gone back to 42 so I am battling again.
 
Have Boots stopped doing this hba1c test now? It seemed to be only available in a few stores, but now I can't find it on their website at all.
 
I asked @everydayupsanddowns to re-open this owing to my own recent experience with obtaining an HbA1c test from a capillary blood sample, but not from Boots, and probably not the same test kit.

In January, I wanted to get an HbA1c test privately, in the gap between my twice-yearly NHS tests. This was to see if tweaks to my regime had been beneficial. I found and booked one online at a pharmacy relatively local to me. @harbottle, my Internet search threw up Boots as an option, offering a walk-in...but only in London's West End. Others offered a test you attended, or where they sent a kit to your home. I opted for the local pharmacy, but, in my ignorance, was surprised to find it was done by a capillary sample (5ml I think, but more than the normal blood sugar pin-prick), not the venous sample test with which I am familiar, and what I had expected for an attended test.

The result I received was 24.7mmol/mol. This was implausible, being half the value of my most recent previous test (55mmol/mol in October 2024). In the 29 tests since diagnosis in 2009, the lowest previous value was 44mmol/mol (2012, 2013).

I queried the pharmacist with my concerns, and, to his credit, he listened and took it up with the test supplier. Satisfied he had done the test correctly, and being reassured of its validity, he offered me a free retest, the result of which was 33mmol/mol, which seemed just as unlikely to be correct. I continued to voice my concern. He assured me that he had successfully done this test for other people. We agreed I would provide him with my next NHS HbA1c result, for his beneficial understanding. I have now had that test, the result being 52mmol/mol. So we can rule out "miracle cure" as the explanation!

I will shortly contact him, but, before doing so, I wanted to get information and opinions from others, to pass that on if relevant. My concern is that he is providing this test to people who, like me, may get a significant "false negative", potentially leading someone who is diabetic to believe they are not.

I searched 'Igloo Diagnostics device DX365 HbA1C' to find out more information about the specific test, and its veracity, but only found marketing stuff.

My diabetic nurse's off the cuff opinion was that capillary blood would be more highly oxygenated, leading to this different result (maybe also exposure to the air?). My GP's only comment is that she'd expect it to be less representative owing to being a small sample.

I'd very much welcome the thoughts and experiences of Forum members about these tests.

I'm not going to waste my money on one of these again! My main concern is that an NHS approved pharmacy may be promoting an unreliable test that may lead to misdiagnosis - especially as the pharmacy in question is based on a University campus. Of course there may be a wider issue regarding tests of this type, which your responses might reveal.

Many thanks
Nick
 
Nick Cliff said:
I'm not going to waste my money on one of these again! My main concern is that an NHS approved pharmacy may be promoting an unreliable test that may lead to misdiagnosis - especially as the pharmacy in question is based on a University campus. Of course there may be a wider issue regarding tests of this type, which your responses might reveal.
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There are such fingerprick tests which are more reliable. I had one years ago at a hospital diabetes appointment. The machine was the size of a large fridge (if I remember correctly), but worked from something close to a test strip. The DSN said it was pretty reliable (because I asked about it) and it did give a plausible result (low 50s which is about right for me).

I'm willing to believe some such tests are not reliable, and I agree with you that it sounds like the two you had were not accurate enough to be useful.
 
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