An important blood test that is measured at least once a year in each of the UK's 2.5 million patients with diabetes is undergoing a major change. Because glucose levels can vary throughout the day, and from day-to-day a test called glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) has been used to give an indication of how high a patient's glucose has been over the previous 6 to 8 weeks.

Worldwide standardisation of the reference method used to measure glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c), the test used to assess long-term blood glucose level stability in people with diabetes, has been endorsed at a meeting of 18 expert bodies including leading health charity Diabetes UK and the Association for Clinical Biochemistry (ACB).

HbA1c Information Leaflet