Diabetes patients who receive immediate feedback on their A1C levels are better able to improve their glycemic control, which in turn reduces their risk of developing long term complications associated with diabetes.

A decade long study entitled the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), conducted from 1982 to 1993, tested the hypothesis whether complications associated with type 1 diabetes could be prevented or avoided by maintaining glucose levels as closely as possible to the non-diabetic range through intensive glucose control. The conclusion of the study indicated a definitive link between A1c levels and the risk of developing long-term complications commonly associated with diabetes. ¹

Another study published in the journal Diabetes Care found in a controlled randomized trial that patients whose healthcare provider provided immediate feedback of A1C test results demonstrated improved glycemic control at 6 and 12 month follow up intervals as compared to the control group. ²

The results of the DCCT study correlated relative risks of common complications of A1C levels for patients with type 1 diabetes. The graph displays the relative increased risk for retinopathy, nephropathy, and microalbuminuria, as A1C levels rise. It also displays an accelerated risk of retinopathy and nephropathy as A1c levels approach 12%. The study concluded that improved glycemic control can delay the onset of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy and slow the progression of these disease states in patients with type 1 diabetes.

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