World Diabetes Day: Awakening Health Awareness, Starting with Understanding HbA1c

November 14th is World Diabetes Day. This day, jointly initiated by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, not only commemorates Banting, the scientist who discovered insulin, but also serves as a wake-up call to raise global awareness and attention to diabetes. On this day, we talk about prevention and management, but all actions begin with accurate insight. And the key to this insight lies in a seemingly simple medical indicator—the HbA1c test.

Diabetes, a chronic disease known as the “sweet killer,” is spreading globally at an unprecedented rate, with China being a particularly hard-hit area. However, what’s more frightening than the disease itself is the public’s ignorance and disregard for it. Many people believe that as long as they don’t experience the typical symptoms of “polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and weight loss,” they are immune to diabetes. Little do they know that high blood sugar, like silent rust, continuously damages our blood vessels, nerves, eyes, kidneys, and heart over a long period. HbA1c is the mirror that reveals the true face of this “silent killer.”

So, what is HbA1c? Its full name is ‘ Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c.’ You can understand it like this: the red blood cells in our bloodstream contain hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen. When there is excess glucose in the blood, the glucose irreversibly attaches to the hemoglobin, much like “frosting,” forming ‘glycated’ hemoglobin. The higher the blood glucose concentration and the longer it persists, the more glycated hemoglobin is formed. Since the average lifespan of a red blood cell is about 120 days, **HbA1c can stably reflect the average blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months. Unlike finger-prick blood glucose readings, which can be easily affected by momentary factors like diet, emotion, or exercise, it provides us with an objective, long-term “blood sugar report card.”

For people with diabetes, HbA1c is irreplaceable. It is the “gold standard” for assessing blood sugar control and the core basis for doctors to adjust treatment plans. According to authoritative guidelines, keeping HbA1c below 7% can significantly delay or reduce the risk of diabetic complications. This number is the bullseye for both doctors and patients. At the same time, it is also an important window for predicting the risk of future complications. A persistently high HbA1c value is the most severe warning from the body, reminding us that we must take immediate action.

More importantly, HbA1c plays a vital role in diabetes screening and prevention. When fasting blood glucose might still be in the “normal” range, an elevated HbA1c can often earlier reveal a state of “pre-diabetes.” This valuable “window of opportunity” gives us a chance to change our fate. Through lifestyle interventions—a balanced diet, regular exercise, weight control—it is entirely possible to return HbA1c to normal levels, thereby avoiding the progression to full-blown diabetes.

.Under the blue circle symbol of World Diabetes Day, we urge everyone: Don’t wait until symptoms appear to pay attention to your blood sugar. Include HbA1c testing in your routine checkups, just like you pay attention to blood pressure and blood lipids. Understanding it means understanding the truth about your blood sugar levels over a period of time; controlling it is like insuring your future health.

Let us take World Diabetes Day as an opportunity to start by understanding our own HbA1c report and take the first step in safeguarding our health. Managing diabetes is not just a battle with numbers; it is a reverence and cherish for life. Mastering your HbA1c means holding the key to long-term health, empowering us to transform this “sweet burden” into a solid commitment to our quality of life.

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