The numbers are sufficiently confusing that the ADA has introduced a new measure called eAG, for estimated average glucose. Just like Category 3 hurricanes are much worse than Category 2 storms, or like 7.3 earthquakes are much worse than 7.0s, each increase in your A1C number packs a larger punch than you’d expect. So we can all agree that above 9.0 you are in deep shit and the higher above 9.0 that the number is, the worse off you are because A1C tests are curvilinear. At 9.0 we cross the threshold where kidney damage starts. Scores below 6.0 are usually considered to be in the non-diabetic range. Other offices do a “send out.” We generally do them in-house, but if we are also running other lab tests we’ll sometimes piggyback the test onto the blood draw. I personally love being able to discuss the score with the patient during the visit. As a side note, many offices have in-house A1C machines that give results in six minutes. At that level your blood sugar is lethal and your body is slowly dissolving, just as if you had battery acid in your veins and arteries. Labs can test higher, but at 14.0 your doctor will run screaming for the hills anyway, so it really doesn’t matter. For all practical purposes, it runs from 5.0 up to 14.0 where most in-house A1C machines max out. The scale does not look anything like the BGL numbers you are used to. ![]() No one quite agrees on where your A1C score should be, but we all agree on where it shouldn’t be. Passing The A1c “test”…what Do I Need To Score?
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