Can you work out what you Hb-A1c is from your AVG?

[Jodie]

I have a one touch meter that tells you the AVG from 7 days, 14 days and 30 days. Just woundering would I be able to work out from the AVG what my Hb-A1c will be?

[JediSkipdogg]

Do you test 2016 times in a 7 day period? If not, then the answer is most likely no. You can be closed based on your BG readings to what your A1C is but remember, you don't test at all the peaks and valleys and during the path to those all the times.

The A1C measures BG every all the time for the past 3 months. I highly doubt you test every few minutes of the day. So all you can do is get close by looking at averages in your BG meter.

[JJM335]

There has been a recent study that has come up with a much better equation for calculating A1C-derived average glucose (ADAG) from A1c.

JediSkipdogg is correct - but if you test 10+ times per day and both before and after meals you should get an average that gives a reasonable approximation to your A1c

A1c = (Av-Glc + 2.52)/1.583

ADAG = (A1c x 1.583) -2.52

BGs are in mmol/L - if you work in US units (mg/dl) divide by 18 to convert to mmol/L

Joel

[Scratch]

There has been a recent study that has come up with a much better equation for calculating A1C-derived average glucose (ADAG) from A1c.

JediSkipdogg is correct - but if you test 10+ times per day and both before and after meals you should get an average that gives a reasonable approximation to your A1c

A1c = (Av-Glc + 2.52)/1.583

ADAG = (A1c x 1.583) -2.52

BGs are in mmol/L - if you work in US units (mg/dl) divide by 18 to convert to mmol/L

Joel
He's kinda right but he's also kinda wrong.

Over time, if you use the same meter, maintain consistent testing patterns, you can work out a useful correlation. Basically, practically apply the scienific method, control or account for the variables, the average number on the meter is not random, it has meaning and that meaning can be correlated to the meaning associated with the A1c number.

[pdxdennisj]

My measured A1c usually runs about 1-1.1 points above my converted average glucose levels.
If my average Glucose levels for a three month period before testing was 5.0 (as it was recently) my lab reported A1C will be 6.0-6.1 (it was 6.1). I test twice a day - once morning fasting and once before dinner. This has held up for about three years now.

[solox316]

At my last visit to the Dr., my nurse prac told me something I have never heard about A1C, as my A1C was lower by about .5 than I thought it would be.

She told me that, for reasons she explained but I cannot fully understand, as long as high(er) spikes in glucose level are brought down within 4 hours, it is very unlikely for those to have an effect on A1C. It is more of higher levels that go unnoticed/untreated, that will cause A1C to go up.

Another reason I cannot go without the sensor these days. It has allowed me to see peaks and valleys I never knew existed.

Can anyone comment on what she told me? Again, in 20 years, no Dr. ever mentioned this...