Significance of HbA1c is :

Ans. is ' b' long term measurement of blood sugar Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA 1c) is produced by non enzymatic condensation of glucose molecules with free amino groups of the globin component of hemoglobin.Abnormally high level of glycosylated hemoglobin is seen in patients with chronic hyperglycemia. The higher the glucose level of serum, the higher will be the level of glycosylated hemoglobin..Since glycosylated hemoglobins circulate within red blood cells and life span of RBC is 120 days, they generally reflect the state of glucose level over the preceding 8-12 weeks.Therefore they are used to assess glucose levels in diabetic patients. They are extremely useful in monitoring the progress of the patients.