If someone with type 2 diabetes has red blood cells that don't live as long as usual, their A1c test might show better blood sugar control than they actually have — meaning doctors could miss signs...

If you have type 2 diabetes and your red blood cells don’t live as long, your actual blood sugar might be higher than what your A1c test shows — meaning the A1c test could be misleading for some people.

If you have type 2 diabetes and your red blood cells don’t live as long—less than 75 days—your A1c test might not give a true picture of your blood sugar control, because the test could show lower numbers than reality.

If someone with type 2 diabetes has red blood cells that don’t live as long, their A1c test might be giving a lower number than their real blood sugar levels — meaning the test could be misleading for them.

Some people with diabetes might seem to have good blood sugar control based on standard tests, but if their red blood cells don’t live as long, the test could be misleading — and nearly 1 in 3 of these patients might actually have worse blood sugar levels than the test shows.

In people with type 2 diabetes, red blood cells don’t live as long when there’s a bigger mismatch between their actual HbA1c levels and what those levels should be based on blood sugar — meaning the body’s sugar coating on blood cells doesn’t always match up with sugar levels.