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Hemoglobin A Ic is produced when glucose reacts nonenzymatically with the NH2-termini of Hb A beta chains and then undergoes an Amadori rearrangement. The concentration of Hb A Ic measured at any given time reflects a patient's mean blood glucose level for the preceding weeks to months. Infrequent measurements of Hb A Ic can therefore be used to assess long-term carbohydrate control in outpatient diabetics. In addition, the synthesis of Hb A Ic may represent a model reaction to explain the pathogenesis of many of the sequelae of chronic diabetes. Nonenzymatic glycosylation reactions may also underlie some of the changes ascribed to normal aging.
Ronald J. Koenig (Fri,) studied this question.