Correlation of Haemoglobin Percentage and Glycated Haemoglobin Level among Iron Deficient versus Non-Iron Deficient Patients without Diabetes: An Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Centre of Bihar, India

Introduction: Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) and diabetes are extremely common in Indian settings. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) indicates patient’s glycaemic status over past 8 to 12 weeks. Formation of HbA1c is irreversible and its concentration in the blood depends on life span of Red Blood Cell (RBC), blood glucose concentration, Haemoglobin (Hb) percentage (Hb%), serum iron, etc. Some studies suggest that iron depletion is associated with increased glycation of Hb leading to falsely high values of HbA1c independent of glycaemia. Aim: To compare and correlate Hb% and HbA1c level among iron deficient (non-diabetic) and non-iron deficient (nondiabetic) patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational, crosssectional study conducted on 200 non-diabetic subjects which were divided into group A (n=100, IDA but non-diabetic) and group B (n=100, normal healthy subjects without IDA and without diabetes). Investigations like Complete Blood Count (CBC), Fasting and Postprandial (PP) blood sugar, HbA1c, blood urea and serum creatinine and iron profile were estimated. Data was analysed using Graph Pad Instat software by student’s t-test (unpaired t-test) and Hb% and HbA1c were correlated by using correlation coefficient (r). Results: Mean Hb%, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), serum iron and ferritin were significantly higher in group B in comparison with group A (p-value