Problem: A 27 year old female patient with a long history of diabetes mellitus presents to the office for her annual physical and to go over the results of her blood work with the doctor. During the patient history section of the examination, the patient states that she has been experiencing increased hunger, urination frequency, and heartburn. In addition, she has noticed that when driving, the cars next to her are tougher for her to see. She also states that her neck and shoulders are tight and achy.
The blood work comes back with the following results
Fasting Glucose: 108mg/dl
HgbA1c: 8.0%
Chloride: 115 mEq/L
Potassium: 5.9 mEq/L
Sodium: 155 mEq/L
Calcium: 8.9mg/dl
Magnesium: 1.5 mg/dl
Phosphorus: 5.1 mg/d
When the doctor goes over the blood results, the patient states she has been complying with the treatment plan for her diabetes. She points out should that her fasting blood glucose number is within the normal range. How would it be explained to the patient why the HgbA1c is a better method for looking at look term glucose levels and why the fasting blood glucose does not provide the full picture? Need Assignment Help?