Get your HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) levels measured. This is a newer test that is being used by some doctors for diabetes. It looks at the hemoglobin (a protein) in your red blood cells and measures how much sugar is attached. The higher the value, the more sugar is attached, which directly correlates to your risk of having diabetes. (After all, diabetes is the heightened prevalence of sugar in the bloodstream.)
- To explain the normal correlation between HbA1c and average blood sugar levels is as follows. An HbA1c of 6 equates to a blood glucose level of 135. An HbA1c of 7 = 170, an HbA1c of 8 = 205, an HbA1c of 9 = 240, an HbA1c of 10 = 275, an HbA1c of 11 = 301, and an HbA1c of 12 = 345.
- In most labs, the normal range for HbA1c is between 4.0-5.9%. In poorly controlled diabetes, it is 8.0% or above, and in well controlled patients it is less than 7.0%.
- The benefit of measuring HbA1c is that it gives a more reasonable view of what's happening over the course of time. It reflects your average sugar levels over the past 3 months, rather than a simple glucose test which is a one-time measurement of your sugar levels.[3]
How to Tell if You Have Diabetes. What are the signs that indicate the presence of diabetes? If you have doubts about whether or not you have diabetes.Pay attention to the symptoms of diabetes that we list in this article. Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism that prevents regulating the amount of glucose in the blood because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or this hormone.