Skip to content
Missed Black Friday? Check out our HUGE offers for Christmas!
Missed Black Friday? Check out our HUGE offers for Christmas!

Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) - description and reference ranges

What is it?

Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) hamoglobin result is used to monitor average blood glucose levels (over the last 2 to 3 months). This can help with treatment and diagnosis in diabetes or identification of prediabetes.

Some of the glucose in your blood binds to haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is very important as it transports oxygen around the body, in the red blood cells. This binding of glucose and haemoglobin is called haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and is directly proportional to the average concentration of glucose in blood over the lifetime of red blood cells (2 to 3 months).

Reference ranges

If your indicative HbA1c concentration is lower than the reference range for our laboratory:

This generally implies that you do not have diabetes.

You can discuss this result with your GP.

If your indicative HbA1c is higher than the reference range for our laboratory:

If you have diabetes or your diabetes is not well managed, your blood glucose levels will be high, in turn causing higher HbA1c concentrations.

You can discuss this result with your GP.

Quick test finder

Quick test finder

Find what you need in under 30 seconds with our (very clever!) test finder. We offer a huge range of markers all a few clicks away, as well as fastest turnaround times.

Find your test

You might also like to read

  • The PSA Blood Test and Prostate Cancer Screening
    Adam Staten

    The PSA Blood Test and Prostate Cancer Screening

    In the UK, we screen for many different conditions. This starts before we are even born when foetuses are screened for conditions such as Down’s syndrome then, in the new born period, babies are screened for metabolic diseases and hearing problems, school children are screened for colour blindness, and in adulthood we are screened for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and bowel cancer. But we don’t screen for prostate cancer despite the existence of a simple blood test that can alert us to the possibility of the disease.

    Why not?

    Read now
  • Dr Mike Forsythe on Vitamin B12
    Dr Mike Forsythe

    Dr Mike Forsythe on Vitamin B12

    Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a unique nutrient, as it’s the only vitamin we require that must be sourced externally from animal-derived foods or supplements. So how do we know if we are getting enough of it? What...

    Read now