Association of increased levels of Glycated hemoglobin with variations in Red blood cell parameters in Diabetes mellitus.

Background and Aim: Hyperglycaemia has multiple effects on the red blood cell (RBC), including glycation of haemoglobin, reduced deformability and reduced lifespan. Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of erythrocyte variability and heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between HbA1c and red blood cell parameters in patients of diabetes mellitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 diabetic patients in KMC Hospital Manipal. HbA1c, FBG, HbA1c, Hb, MCV, MCH, MCHC and RDW were measured in these patients. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between HbA1c and red blood cell parameters. Results: RDW significantly correlated inversely with HbA1c. There was no significant correlation between HbA1c and other red blood cell parameters. Conclusion: In contrast to the observations of previous studies, this study showed that HbA1c was inversely correlated with RDW and there was no significant correlation between RDW and MCV, MCH and MCHC.This could be attributed to decreased lifespan of red blood cells and/or certain unknown variables. Further studies are warranted.