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Hemoglobin A1c and staying healthy with type 1 diabetes

Published Nov. 8, 2018
• Reviewed by a UI Health Care Provider

There are many ways you, your family, and your diabetes doctor and nurses will know if your diabetes is in good control.

  • Blood sugar records. The doctors and nurses will:
    • Look at your blood sugar records
    • Download your blood sugar meter readings when you come to appointments
    • Look for trends in your blood sugars and can make suggestions for changes you can make to better control your blood sugars
  • Hemoglobin A1c (A1c) results.
    • Every 3 to 4 months when you come for appointments you will have a test called A1c.
    • The nurse will do a finger stick and get a small drop of blood from your finger. In less than 10 minutes you will get the result.
    • The result is the average amount of sugar in your blood stream in the past 3 to 4 months.
    • The higher your blood sugar during the past 3 to 4 months, the higher the A1c will be.
    • Kids under age 18 should try to have an A1c of 7.5 percent or lower. This is the same as an average blood sugar of 185.
A1c(%) Average blood sugar (MG/DL)
6 135
7 170
8 205
9 240
10 275
11 310
12 345

Keeping your A1c as close to normal as possible, throughout your life, will help your organs stay healthy. This lowers your chance of getting long-term health problems.

It is important for you to:

  • Get your A1c checked at each diabetes visit every 3 to 4 months.
  • Keep track of your blood sugars and make changes to your insulin doses when needed.
  • Eat healthy and count carbohydrate each time you eat or drink so you can match your insulin dose to the carbohydrate.
  • Be active every day to help balance your blood sugar and lower your chance of heart disease.
  • Get your blood pressure checked at each diabetes visit every 3 to 4 months.
  • Get your urine checked for a protein called microalbumin. This will be done 5 years after you find out you have diabetes and then each year after that.
  • Get your blood checked for cholesterol and other fats in your blood within the first year after you find out you have diabetes and every 5 years after that, as long as it is normal.
  • See an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) at the age of 10 or after you have had diabetes for 3 to 5 years. Then see them 1 time a year after that.

Be sure to see your diabetes doctor or nurses every 3 to 4 months. They specialize in taking care of children and adolescents with diabetes.