Prevalence of anaemia and its correlation with glycosylated haemoglobin among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an observational study

Abstract

Background: Anaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus are two sides of a coin affecting the quality of life of the patients. Anaemia associated with diabetic status of the patients disturbs the exercise capacity, increases fatigue, anorexia, depression, cognitive dysfunction and decreased libido. Hence, we conducted a study to find the prevalence of anaemia among patients with type 2 diabetic patients and its correlation with glycosylated haemoglobin.Methods: An observational study was conducted in the department of medicine in a tertiary care hospital in Maharashtra. The data was collected from patients with type 2 diabetes attending the outpatient department during a span of 5 months (September 2020 to February 2021). The patients with pre-existing hypertension, chronic renal failure, congestive cardiac failure, stroke and other haematological disorders were excluded from the study. Patients on hormonal therapy, pregnant and lactating patients were also excluded from the study. Prior to the start of the study necessary permissions were taken from the institutional ethics committee. Relevant statistics were used to analyse the data.Results: The prevalence of anaemia in the present study was 45 (56.25%). Among these 45 patients 37 patients had normocytic normochromic anaemia, 6 cases of microcytic hypochromic anaemia and 2 cases of macrocytic anaemia. The mean haemoglobin levels among patients with Hba1c more than 7% was 9.7±1.12 and among Hba1c less than 7% was 12. 23±1.08 and this difference was statistically significant.Conclusions: About half of the patients were anaemic in the present study. Normochromic normocytic anaemia was the most common type of anaemia. There was significant association with levels of anaemia with Hb1ac in the present study.