Context:
A nationwide study published in 2023 estimates that India has approximately 10.13 crore individuals with diabetes, along with an additional 13.6 crore people classified as pre-diabetic.
Relevance:
GS II: Health
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) Test
- What is Diabetes?
About Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) Test
- Diagnostic and Management Tool: The HbA1C test is widely used to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and to assist in managing diabetes effectively.
- Alternate Names: Also referred to as the glycated haemoglobin or glycosylated haemoglobin test.
- Role of Hemoglobin: Hemoglobin, found in red blood cells, is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues.
- Importance in Diabetes Management: This blood test offers valuable insight into the level of diabetes control an individual maintains.
How Does the Test Work?
Sugar and Hemoglobin Interaction:
- Sugar from the food we consume enters the bloodstream and attaches to the haemoglobin in red blood cells.
- Haemoglobin, a protein, serves as the carrier of oxygen to all body cells.
Measurement of Glycated Haemoglobin:
- While everyone has some sugar attached to their haemoglobin, individuals with pre-diabetes and diabetes exhibit higher levels.
- The HbA1C test quantifies the percentage of red blood cells coated with sugar, or glycated haemoglobin.
What is Diabetes?
- Chronic Disease: Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, resulting from the pancreas’s inability to produce insulin or the body’s ineffective use of the insulin it produces.
- Role of Insulin: Insulin is a hormone responsible for regulating blood glucose levels.
- Consequences of Insufficient Insulin: Inadequate insulin production or utilization leads to hyperglycemia, or high glucose levels in the blood, which can cause long-term damage to various organs and tissues.
- Health Complications: Diabetes is associated with severe health complications, including blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
Different Types of Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas responsible for insulin production.
- It affects about 10 percent of people with diabetes, and the exact cause of this autoimmune attack is unclear.
Type 2 Diabetes:
- Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, leading to the accumulation of sugar in the blood.
- It is influenced by a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity.
Pre-diabetes:
- Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
- It serves as a warning sign for the development of diabetes if lifestyle changes are not made.
Gestational Diabetes:
- Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar levels that occur during pregnancy.
- Insulin-blocking hormones produced by the placenta cause this type of diabetes, which usually resolves after childbirth.
-Source: The Hindu
