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glycated haemoglobin

File:GlycationViaAmadoriRgmt.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ311213· pop 39· linked from 326 articles

glycated haemoglobin

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Also known as HGBA1C, HbA1c, A1C, Hb1c, A1c, haemoglobin A1c

form of haemoglobin chemically linked to a sugar

Key facts

Medlineplus
003640
Loinc
41995-2

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
medical test
Has part
hemoglobin
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Commons category
Glycated hemoglobin
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Glycated hemoglobin, also called glycohemoglobin, is a form of hemoglobin (Hb) that is chemically linked to a sugar. Most monosaccharides, including glucose, galactose, and fructose, spontaneously (that is, non-enzymatically) bond with hemoglobin when they are present in the bloodstream. However, glucose is only 21% as likely to do so as galactose and 13% as likely to do so as fructose, which may explain why glucose is used as the primary metabolic fuel in humans.

The formation of excess sugar-hemoglobin linkages indicates the presence of excessive sugar in the bloodstream and is an indicator of diabetes or other hormone diseases in high concentration (HbA1c > 6.4%). A1c is of particular interest because it is easy to detect. The process by which sugars attach to hemoglobin is called glycation and the reference system is based on HbA1c, defined as beta-N-1-deoxy fructosyl hemoglobin as a component.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “glycated haemoglobin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.