A1C Levels?
Ok...I have been diabetic since I was 8 years old....I am now 22. My question is......why had the A1C ranges changed in the past few years. When i was younger 7.5 was perfect...now doctors want the A1C level to be down to a 6 or lower. This is almost impossible for me...unless i keep my blood sugar at 80 everyday all day.....just asking if other people keep their sugars that low everyday and if the A1C levels are 6 and lower??? TYPE 1 Diabetics....who have had diabetes for several years.
Comments
The actual research shows that diabetic complications will occur if the A1c is 7.0% or above. The higher above 7 it is, the earlier and more severe the complications will be.
The research comes from follow-ups to the landmark Diabetic Complications and Control study.
1) In children, the A1c should be slightly higher to avoid developmental problems in the brain.
2) I was diagnosed at 17 (not a child). I was told less than 7. I am hearing less than 6 now also. I'm with you - If I could keep my sugar in the non diabetic range all day every day, I wouldn't be diabetic. I haven't seen the studies yet that support the new reccomendation, but the old one (the DCCT in 1990) found that there was not much difference between 6 and 7. I think that if you can get down to 6 without too much side effects of low sugar, then by all means, go for it. But I haven't had an A1c less than 6.4 for 9 years (lately it's around 6.8-7)
I am also a type 1. I have had diabetes for 22 years. The lowest A1C I ever had was 6.2. My last was a 6.6. As long as it is under 7, I am happy and so is my doctor. If I tried to go under 6, I'd be facing a lot of hypos.
The current thinking is that the closer to 6 that your A1C is, the better your control will be. In turn, the better your control. the more your risk of complications diminishes.
A 1% change in A1c result reflects a change of about 30 mg/dL .
An A1c of 6% corresponds to an average glucose of 135 mg/dL, which is still high.
An A1c of 9% corresponds to an average glucose of 240 mg/dL.
It is very hard for type 1 people to get that low.
The reason they keep lowering the numbers is to make more people take more medications and make more money for a pharmaceutical companies.
Ask your Endo what he/she thinks.
Good luck