By: Roslyn A. Douglas -
Founder of Central Health - Grenada
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| Grenada Diabetes Association Executive Leadership Team (Left to Right) Francis Balwant Treasurer, Rosalind Alexis President, Alister Antoine Vice-president, Evelyn Davis P.R.O, Marcia Charles Secretary Diabetes Resource Center, Agnes Mitchell Executive Secretary |
One
of the most effective tests to determine how effectively a diabetic is managing
their glucose level is the A1C test. According to the National
Diabetes Education Program’s (NDEP) website, “The A1C is a lab test that measures your average
blood sugar level over the last 2 to 3 months. It shows whether your blood
sugar stayed close to your target range most of the time, or was too high or
too low.”
In
order for us to have energy to move about our daily lives, our bodies turn most
of the food we eat into glucose or in layman’s terms - sugar. The pancreas, an
organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin. This insulin
helps the glucose or sugar to get into all parts of human body. When you have diabetes, your body either
doesn't make enough insulin or cannot use its own insulin as well as it should.
When
a patient is diagnosed with diabetes their doctor will decide the best
treatment plan for them; this may include medication, insulin or both to help control
their irregular sugar levels. In most
instances they will encourage changes to eating habits and to increase
exercise. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause serious health complication such as,
chronic kidney disease (CKD), eye disease (retinopathy), nerve damage affecting
for example the hands, feet and penis.
Therefore it is imperative that diabetics check their glucose numbers
daily through self-testing (glucometer) and also consider the NDEP’s
recommendation that diabetics have an AIC test at least twice a year.
The
A1C test is also recommended for pre-diabetics. A pre-diabetic is a person whose blood
glucose reading is high but not high enough to be classified as a
diabetic. According to the current
President of the Grenada Diabetes Association (GDA) Registered Nurse, Rosalind Alexis a person at risk for developing
diabetes could benefit from taking the A1C test, “When you have an A1C, perhaps
between 5 and 6.5 then you know it is time for you do your exercise and follow
up with your diet and lower the risk of you developing the condition. So it is also beneficial for a person who is
not diabetic.”
Regarding diabetics, Nurse Alexis stated that the A1C is highly
recommended, “It is very good and we recommend it highly because persons who
might just depend on going to the clinic and testing the blood sugar at a given
period - perhaps they test it when they didn’t eat a lot and you get a low
blood sugar reading. But the A1C will give you exactly what is happening with
your blood. The A1C will tell you what
your blood sugar is over a three month period and it should not go over seven.”
The
Grenada Diabetes Association (GDA) under the leadership of Nurse Alexis operates
a resource centre within the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade Building in Tanteen,
St. George’s. Its hours of operation are
8:30 am – 4:30 pm and they offer blood sugar/glucose testing, blood pressure
screening, weight and body mass index evaluation, diabetic counseling, distribute
free materials on how a diabetic can manage/control their disease and while test
kits are available the A1C test.
This is an informational article. All health related questions should be addressed directly to your doctor or registered nurse.
