According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ (AACE) approximately 1.2 million people in Texas are diagnosed with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the condition, accounts for 90 to 95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases.
The A1C test, typically taken in a healthcare professional’s office, measures a person’s average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months. It complements the daily blood sugar monitoring that type 2 diabetics conduct on their own. AACE recommends an A1C target level of 6.5% or less to ensure good diabetes management. This is important since every 1% increase above 6% elevates a person’s risk of serious and potentially life-threatening diabetes-related complications, such as stroke, heart attack and loss of limbs.
“Type 2 diabetes is of urgent concern and these findings must serve as a wake-up call that more needs to be done to help manage type 2 diabetes and lower A1C levels in Dallas. We need to provide people with the right tools and encouragement to take control,” said Dr Jaime Davidson, clinical associate professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
The results have implications for sufferers outside of Dallas who could also be failing to control their blood sugar levels. As Dr Davidson suggests, new tools may be needed that allow patients to accurately keep track of their sugar levels and avoid the serious consequences miss-management can bring.