A fasting blood sugar test measures glucose at one specific moment, which can be affected by the previous night's meal, stress, or sleep. HbA1c measures the percentage of haemoglobin with glucose attached, reflecting the average blood glucose over the previous two to three months. It cannot be manipulated by one good day of eating and is unaffected by whether the patient has fasted correctly. An HbA1c below 7 percent is the target for most patients with type 2 diabetes. It is measured every three to six months depending on how stable the control is, and it is the primary number guiding treatment decisions in my practice at Chirayu Multispeciality Clinic, Kasturi Nagar.
Written by Dr. Santosh Kumar PK, MBBS (Karnataka University), Masters in Diabetes Management (Middlesex University, London), PGD Clinical Cardiology (Royal College of Physicians, UK), PGD Endocrinology and Clinical Diabetology (Royal College of Physicians, UK), Consultant Physician and Cardio-Diabetologist, Chirayu Multispeciality Clinic, Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 9164442266.
