1. Is there a home test for A1c?
Yes. There is an FDA-approved test that can be used at home. Unlike some home tests, this one requires a prescription. If you are interested in learning more, please ask your doctor.
2. Are all A1c tests the same?
Not yet. There is an international effort underway to standardize A1c tests. Many organizations are working together as part of the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program and/or as part of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). Under recent developments:
The name “A1c” has been recommended as the formal name for the test.
A reference method proposed by the IFCC is likely to be internationally accepted and promoted as the standard testing method.
With the IFCC method, doctors and patients will need information and education because the numbers that will be reported (the test results) will be different from those currently used. In the long term, this standardization effort will make A1c testing consistent on an international basis.
For the short term, current methods (standardized to a method certified in a large clinical study referred to as the DCCT (Diabetes Complications and Control Trial)) and current result reporting will continue to be used.
