What Is Glycated Hemoglobin?

Glycated hemoglobin (GHb) is the product of the combination of hemoglobin in red blood cells and sugars in serum. It is formed by a slow, continuous, and irreversible glycation reaction, and its content depends on the blood glucose concentration and the contact time between blood glucose and hemoglobin, and has nothing to do with the blood draw time, whether the patient is fasting, or whether insulin is used. Therefore, GHb can effectively reflect the blood glucose control in patients with diabetes in the past 1 to 2 months. GHb is composed of HbA1a, HbA1b, and HbA1c. Among them, HbA1c accounts for about 70% and has a stable structure, so it is used as a monitoring indicator for diabetes control.

Basic Information

Chinese name
Glycated hemoglobin
Foreign name
glycated hemoglobin
Abbreviation
GHb, HbA1c
Related diseases
diabetes
Glycated hemoglobin is the gold standard for measuring glycemic control and an important means for diagnosing and managing diabetes. In the treatment of diabetes, the level of glycated hemoglobin has important clinical significance for evaluating the overall control of blood glucose, finding problems in the treatment, and guiding the treatment plan.
1. Glycated hemoglobin is an indicator of the overall control of blood glucose in patients with diabetes.
2. If the glycated hemoglobin is> 9%, it means that the patient's persistent hyperglycemia will cause complications such as diabetic nephropathy, arteriosclerosis, cataract, and also a high risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke death.
3. The detection of glycated hemoglobin can be used to guide the adjustment of the treatment plan.
4. Glycated hemoglobin has certain significance for judging the different stages of diabetes.
5. Cerebrovascular emergency and other stress conditions increase blood sugar, but glycated hemoglobin does not increase. Gestational diabetes is not enough to just measure blood sugar. To control glycated hemoglobin, it can make more sense to avoid huge fetuses, stillbirths, teratoes, and preeclampsia.

Glycated hemoglobin normal reference range

1. Glycated hemoglobin 1. normal value

HbA1c is determined by affinity chromatography or high performance liquid chromatography. The normal value is 4% to 6%.

2. Glycated hemoglobin 2. Influencing factors

(1) The reference value increases with age.
(2) Hyperlipidemia specimens may result in higher results.
(3) The laboratory temperature, the ionic strength of the reagent, and the pH can have a certain effect on the measurement results.

Glycated hemoglobin considerations

1. HbAlc is not affected by daily blood glucose fluctuations, nor is it affected by exercise or food.
2. Patients with abnormal hemoglobin disease, the test results of glycated hemoglobin are unreliable, and fasting and postprandial blood glucose shall prevail.
3. The normal value of standard glycated hemoglobin is 4% to 6%. During the initial period of treatment, monitor once every 3 months, and once every 6 months after reaching the standard.

Glycated hemoglobin control target

The control range of HbAlc should be different from person to person and cannot be generalized. The Chinese Medical Association Endocrinology Branch released the "Expert Consensus on HbAlc Control Targets for Chinese Adults with Type 2 Diabetes" in 2011, which gave different target values based on the patient's age, diabetes complications, concomitant disease, treatment plan and other factors.
Target value of HbA1c control in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes
HbA1c level
Adapt to the crowd
<6.0%
Newly diagnosed, young, no complications and concomitant diseases, no adverse reactions such as hypoglycemia and weight gain in hypoglycemic treatment; those who do not need intervention with hypoglycemic drugs; diabetes with pregnancy; diabetes found during pregnancy
<6.5%
<65 years old, without diabetes complications and severe concomitant diseases; pregnancy with diabetes plan
<7.0%
15 years; insulin-treated diabetic patients plan pregnancy
7.5%
People with existing cardiovascular disease or very high risk of cardiovascular disease
<8.0%
65 years of age with an expected survival of 5 to 15 years
<9.0%
65 years of age, or with malignant tumors, with an expected survival of <5 years; people at high risk of hypoglycemia; people who have difficulty in implementing treatment programs, such as mental or intellectual or visual impairment: poor medical conditions

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