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Effects of iron deficiency anemia on hemoglobin A 1c in type 1 diabetes mellitus
Author(s) -
Tarim ÖMER,
Küçükerdogan AYGÜN,
Günay ÜNSAL,
Eralp ÖZGEN,
Ercan İlhan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1442-200x.1999.01083.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hemoglobin , diabetes mellitus , anemia , iron deficiency anemia , iron deficiency , gastroenterology , type 2 diabetes mellitus , endocrinology
Background: The relationship between hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) and iron status in type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) has not been adequately studied. In this prospective investigation, we aimed to determine the effect of iron deficiency on HbA 1c in diabetic patients who also had insufficient iron stores. Methods: Thirty‐seven patients with type 1 DM were included in the study. Eleven of them were also iron deficient (ID) and the remaining 26 were iron‐sufficient (IS). Two non‐diabetic control groups were selected for the ID and IS groups. All patients with ID were treated with iron at 6 mg/kg per day for 3 months. Glycemia in diabetic patients was monitored at home before breakfast and supper by a glycometer. Hemoglobin A 1c was measured in all subjects at the beginning and the end of the study. Results: Patients with ID DM had higher levels of HbA1c than those in the control group (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the weekly average glucose concentration of the patients with ID DM before and after iron supplementation. In contrast, HbA 1c decreased from a mean of 10.1~2.7% to a mean of 8.2~3.1% (P<0.05). Additionally, HbA 1c in ID non‐diabetic patients decreased from a mean of 7.6~2.6% to 6.2~1.4% after iron therapy (P< 0.05). Conclusions: We conclude that among type 1 DM patients with similar level of glycemia, iron deficiency anemia is associated with higher concentrations of HbA 1c . In addition, iron replacement therapy leads to a drop in HbA 1c in both diabetic and non‐diabetic patients. The iron status of the patient must be considered during the interpretation of HbA 1c concentrations in type 1 DM.