Industry-funded researchers say they've developed a way to improve the accuracy of a standard diabetes test. "We think our approach will enable many patients and their doctors to do a better job controlling blood sugar levels and reduce the long-term risks of heart attack, stroke, blindness and kidney failure" associated with diabetes, said associate professor of systems biology at a prestigious Medical School in Boston. At issue is the HbA1c test, also known as the A1c test, which is used to diagnose diabetes.
It also identifies people with prediabetes and provides insight into how well blood sugar is controlled over a three-month period among those monitoring their disease. The A1c test "measures how much sugar a person's blood cells have soaked up since the time the cells were produced," professor said. "Before the test was available, patients and clinicians only knew what a person's…
