What is your HbA1C?

I had no cause to worry about diabetes all these years.

- SURESH SUBRAHMANYAN

While I have indulged in the odd jalebi, sandesh, Mysore pak, kaju barfi and sugared doughnut, I have never hankered after sweets. Until that is, a friend casually asked me what my HbA1c reading was.

HhAle?" I queried.

My friend was taken aback. 'What, you have never heard of HbA1c? Don't you take an annual blood test? At the very least, you would have checked out your fasting and postprandial sugar.

'I have but I don't know what HbA1c is. Pray tell.' My dear friend turned out to be an expert on matters medical. 'It gives you a three-month average assessment of your sugar reading. This is a far more accurate way of assessing whether your blood sugar levels are normal, pre-diabetic or full-blown diabetic.' And a random fasting or post-prandial test is not accurate enough?" I asked.

'Not really, because people tend to keep away from sweets completely a couple of days before testing which will give a reassuring reading that all is well. That is why doctors insist on a three-month test. The long and short of this conversation was that I was persuaded to take an HbAlc test and discuss the results with my GP. Armed with the report, I waited for the doctor to give me the bad news.