Decoding HbA1c Test for Blood Sugar - The Underlying Principle of HbA1c

The Underlying Principle of HbA1c

Glycosylated Hemoglobin count (Hb A molecules), a form of the hemoglobin compound, is used by doctors to identify the average level of plasma glucose concentration over an extended period of time.

In the process called glycosylation, the hemoglobin’s normal exposure to high blood sugar levels usually takes place in a controlled environment i.e. it is overseen by enzymes. But the A1c subtype of hemoglobin is formed in a non-enzymatic pathway (in the absence of these regulating enzymes). Thus the process of A1c formation is called non-enzymatic glycosylation or “glycation”.

However, not all hemoglobin is converted to HbA1c. The conversion rate depends heavily on the concentration of glucose that the hemoglobin is exposed to (ie the average plasma glucose) and the duration of such exposure.(2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
HbA1c: A Review of Analytical and Clinical Aspects

Go to source)