HbA1c test
Your average blood sugar over the last two to three months.
€16.17. You pay at the desk, not online.
- Preparation: No fasting needed on its own
- Prescription: Not needed
- Results: In the Rosa app, within 10 working days
- Also called: Emoglobina glicata (HbA1c), emoglobina glicosilata
HbA1c test: what it is for
HbA1c, or glycated haemoglobin, shows how much sugar you have had in your blood, on average, over the last two to three months. It does not depend on what you ate yesterday, and you do not need to fast for it. It is one of the most widely used tests to find prediabetes and diabetes early.
Why it is done
Sugar in your blood slowly sticks to haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells, and stays there for the cell’s whole life, about four months. The more sugar there is, the more sticks.
Prediabetes and diabetes can stay hidden for years, with no symptoms. HbA1c finds them early, when there is more time to act.
How the HbA1c test is done
It is a blood test, done at a Bianalisi lab without a prescription. You can add other tests to the same draw.
Questions about the HbA1c test.
Do I need to fast for an HbA1c test? No: it is an average over months, so one meal barely counts. It is usually done with other tests that do need fasting, like glucose, so it is best to arrive fasted.
How much does the HbA1c test cost? €16.17, from Bianalisi’s private list for Lombardy. You pay at the desk on the day of the draw, not online.
Do I need a prescription for the HbA1c test? No. You book it here without a prescription and pay at the Bianalisi desk.
When do results arrive? Within 10 working days, in the Rosa app, with each value next to the lab’s interval. The report a doctor approves is in the Rosa membership.
