Introduction
Glycated hemoglobin (HgbA1C) is the primary indicator used by physicians to determine the average glucose concentration in a patient over a prolonged period. HgbA1C is a crucial pointer of the changes in the average blood glucose because it fluctuates proportionally to the amount of plasma glucose. The increase in the number of glucose molecules, which have bound themselves to the hemoglobin, results in high HgbA1C levels. The measurement of HgbA1C levels enables physicians to determine a patient’s average blood glucose over the previous three months. The analysis of HgbA1C levels allows physicians to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment interventions used to regulate plasma glucose in diabetes patients. For example, the analysis of the HgbA1C levels in diabetes mellitus patients helps to demonstrate the success or failure of the recommended methods of controlling the blood glucose. A high HgbA1C level in diabetes mellitus patients is an indicator of health risks such as nephropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular diseases (Leahy, 2000).
Frequency of HgbA1C Testing
Diabetics should undertake HgbA1C testing at least twice a year to determine the success of the recommended measures and strategies to manage diabetes. However, diabetics without a stable glycemic control should undertake HgbA1C testing every four months.
How HgbA1C Helps to Indicate Blood Glucose
The adoption of appropriate glucose-lowering treatment helps diabetics to maintain their blood sugar within the preferred range. The recommended HgbA1C level for a healthy patient is about seven DCCT percent. Physicians consider diabetics with HgbA1C levels greater than 9 percent to have poorly controlled blood glucose. Diabetes patients with HgbA1C levels above 12 percent are at a risk of diabetic complications such as kidney failure, stroke, heart attack and blindness. Patients with extreme HgbA1C levels require urgent medical intervention (Watson & Dokken, 2014).
HgbA1C Patient Education
Patient education is a core principle in the use of HgbA1C testing to control blood glucose. The education entails self-care aspects such as monitoring and reducing health risks, medication, healthy eating and physical activity. The Medical practitioner must acknowledge health risks and factors such as age, biological variation and anemia for individual patients when recommending the interventions for blood glucose control. The consideration of health risk factors helps to enhance the patient’s response to the recommended treatment (Shah, 2014). Patients should learn all the relevant self-care skills to manage their hypoglycemic episodes. Health care practitioners should enlighten diabetes patients on the importance of consistent timing and dosage to ensure optimal effectiveness of insulin medication. The education for diabetics should include the choice for equipments to monitor their glucose levels through strategies such as urine analysis. Practitioners should educate patients about the interpretation and use of blood-glucose tests to manage their blood sugar. Diabetic should learn how to overcome the physical, emotional and cognitive barriers that might hamper the management of their condition.
Strategies to Control HgbA1C Levels
Diabetics can control their blood sugar by adopting strategies, which encompass healthy eating, exercising, stress management and medication. Diabetics should learn how to combine appropriate portions of various foods to ensure that their blood sugar remains within the recommended range. A diabetic’s diet should be a combination of proteins, starch, fats, vegetables and fruits obtained from appropriate foods. For example, carbohydrates with high fiber content are the best for source of starch for diabetics. Regular exercising enhances the body metabolism, breakdown of glucose and insulin usage. Optimal body metabolism is essential to the control of the blood sugar. Medication such as insulin is essential to the management of diabetes. Patients should adhere to the recommended intake of medication to avoid extreme hypoglycemic episodes.
References
Leahy, J. (2000). Medical management of diabetes mellitus. New York: M. Dekker.
Shah, J. (2014). Improving diabetes care in the clinic. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical (P).
Watson, R., & Dokken, B. (2014). Glucose intake and utilization in pre-diabetes and diabetes. Salt Lake: Elsevier Academic Press.