Anemia Distorts Regular Method of Diabetes Diagnosis

Scientists from The University of Nottingham have found that the blood condition anemia can lead to a false diagnosis of diabetes.

The use of glycated haemoglobin (sugar-bound haemoglobin, or HbA1c) is now used by most doctors to assist in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. However new research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) highlights how anaemia—a common condition in the general population, especially in women—can lead to a false diagnosis of diabetes based on HbA1c, when a person’s blood sugar control is actually normal.

The research is led by Dr Emma English, from the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Diagnostic methods

In recent years, there has been a move towards the use of HbA1cfor the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have both advocated the use of HbA1c for diagnosing this condition, at a value of 6.5 percent (48 mmol/mol). In the UK and most of Europe, the same cut off is used.

Following the recommendations of WHO to use HbA1cas the diagnostic method for T2D, the UK (via its government’s Department of Health) issued expert guidance stating that one of the major issues affecting this technique was anaemia, which affects the levels of haemoglobin (Hb) in the blood.

WHO defines anaemia in adults as 120 g/l Hb in non-pregnant women and 130 g/l in men. With approximately 29 percent of non-pregnant women worldwide having anemia (latest estimate from 2011), this translates to a significant number of people where the use of HbA1c for diagnosis of diabetes is unsuitable. The latest WHO estimate for anemia prevalence in men was 13 percent, likely to be higher in elderly men, although data are scarce.

In this latest study, Dr English and colleagues, aim to address the above questions by assessing the available evidence on the impact of abnormalities of erythrocyte (red blood cell) indices and anemia on HbA1c levels around the WHO/ADA diagnostic cut off point of 48 mmol/mol (6.5 percent).

Iron deficiency

The review of research between 1990 and 2014 included studies which had at least one measurement of HbA1cand glucose, and at least one index of anemia involving non-pregnant adults not diagnosed with diabetes. The authors identified 12 studies suitable for inclusion, the majority of which focused on iron deficiency anemia and, in general, demonstrated that the presence of iron deficiency with or without anemia led to an increase in HbA1c values compared with controls, with no corresponding rise in blood glucose, thus rendering any diagnosis of diabetes in such individuals unreliable without further tests.

Dr English said:“HbA1cis likely to be affected by iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia with a spurious increase in HbA1c values. This may lead to confusion when diagnosing diabetes using HbA1c. This review clearly identifies the need for more evidence, especially in identifying the types and degrees of anemia likely to have significant impact on the reliability of HbA1c.

“The key questions that are still to be answered are whether anemia and red blood cell abnormalities will have a significant impact on the diagnosis of diabetes using HbA1c in the general population—something that is now widely performed.

Source: University of Nottingham