Glucose Serum Hemoglobin A1C. The hemoglobin A1C test is the diabetes test with a memory. The test shows how well you've controlled your blood sugar during a 3-month period. Your red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to all the cells in your body. When a red blood cell first forms, it has no sugar (glucose) attached to it. But with diabetes, you have too much sugar in your bloodstream. That extra sugar enters the red blood cells and attaches (glycates) to molecules of hemoglobin. The more sugar in your blood, the more hemoglobin gets glycated. The A1C test measures the percentage of that glycated hemoglobin, offering a snapshot of your average blood sugar control for the past few months. How does the test remember whether your blood sugar was high 3 months ago? Red blood cells live about 3 months before they die off and are replaced by new ones. During their life span, they carry that glycated hemoglobin with them. So measuring the amount of glycated hemoglobin shows how much sugar has been in your bloodstream over that period.
Price: $54.00 |
