You no longer have to wait for a trip to the endocrinologist and for the lab technicians to finish your bloodwork to find out how well you have been managing your diabetes. Bayer has released its A1CNow Selfcheck, an at-home testing kit that can give you your A1C results in just five minutes, according to a company press release.
While many diabetics test their blood sugar levels several times a day, an A1C test is designed to provide a big picture look at overall blood glucose control over a period of several months. It can tell patients and doctors how well a specific treatment plan is working. The American Diabetes Association says diabetics should aim to keep their A1C readings below 7%. High levels of sugar in the blood can lead to some of the disease’s more devastating complications, such as blindness, stroke, heart disease and amputations.
Bayer says the at-home device enables patients to stay better informed in between doctor visits and arm them with greater knowledge so that they can have a more meaningful discussion with their doctor during visits.
The company says the at-home test should not serve as a replacement for their healthcare provider-administered A1C test, but rather should be used to complement it. Currently, A1CNow Selfcheck comes as a 2-test-kit and sells for about $30.
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