Diabetes
HbA1c
Also known as: A1C, Glycated haemoglobin
What it means
Your average blood sugar over the last 2–3 months. Doctors prefer it to fasting sugar because it doesn't get fooled by what you ate that morning.
Typical normal range
Normal: <5.7% · Pre-diabetes: 5.7–6.4% · Diabetes: ≥6.5%
Reference ranges vary by lab, age, sex, and pregnancy. Always check the range on your own report.
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Related terms in Diabetes
Fasting Glucose
Blood sugar after 8+ hours without food. The basic diabetes screening test.
PPBS
Blood sugar 2 hours after a meal. Shows how well your body handles food; elevated PPBS with normal fasting is an early diabetes clue.
OGTT
A challenge test — drink 75 g glucose, measure sugar at 0, 1, and 2 hours. Standard test for gestational diabetes and unclear cases.
Fasting Insulin
The amount of insulin your pancreas makes at rest. High insulin with normal sugar suggests insulin resistance (pre-diabetes territory).
Sources & Standards
The plain-language explanations above draw on published standards from the following bodies. Reference ranges and thresholds vary slightly by lab and demographic — always check the range on your own report and follow your doctor's interpretation.
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Global public-health authority
Global reference ranges and disease classifications.
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
India's apex biomedical research body
India-specific clinical guidelines and reference values.
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)
India's lab-accreditation authority
Reference-range framework used by accredited Indian labs.
- NIH / MedlinePlus
US National Institutes of Health patient-education arm
Plain-language descriptions of tests, conditions, and medicines.
AI can be wrong. Explanations here are for comprehension only — confirm every decision with your doctor.
This is a plain-language explanation for patients, not clinical advice. AI can be wrong. Always confirm with your doctor.