Final answer:
The subject's Hemoglobin A1c level indicates diabetes and suggests a need for improved glucose control, and her blood pressure is classified as hypertension under new guidelines, necessitating careful management.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 73-year-old woman mentioned has a Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level of 8.1%, which is above the normal range and indicates that she has diabetes. An HbA1c level higher than 6.5% is diagnostic for diabetes, and levels above 7% indicate that diabetes management is not optimal. The target for most individuals with diabetes is to keep their HbA1c close to 7% to reduce the risk of complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, and nerves. A level of 8.1% suggests that there may need to be a change in her treatment to better manage her glucose levels. Moreover, her blood pressure reading at 134/84 mm Hg is considered prehypertension according to older guidelines but would be deemed hypertension by the updated standards of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, which now identify hypertension as 130/80 mm Hg or higher. Therefore, it is important that both her HbA1c and blood pressure levels be carefully managed to reduce the risk of complications.