At what level should a 52-year-old male diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus maintain his hemoglobin A1c?

• A. <3%
• B. <7%
• C. <9%
• D. <11%

Answer: (B)

HbA1c reflects average blood glucose over roughly the past 2–3 months and is used to gauge long-term glycemic control in diabetes. For most nonpregnant adults with type 2 diabetes, the target is to keep HbA1c below 7%. This level reduces the risk of microvascular complications like retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy without causing the hypoglycemia that tighter targets might induce. For a 52-year-old man with type 2 diabetes, aiming for less than 7% is an appropriate general goal. Targets can be individualized, but values much lower than 7% (such as under 3%) are not feasible or safe for most patients, while values that are 9% or 11% indicate poor control and higher complication risk.