Abstract

Objective: To compare the mean level of hemoglobin A1C between β-thalassemia traits and normal non-diabetic individuals.

Study design: Case-control study.

Place and duration of the study: Department of pathology, PAEC general hospital H/11-4 Islamabad for a duration of 6 months from January 2021 to June 2021.

Methodology: Complete blood count by light scatter principle and hemoglobin A1C by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) of fifty normal (controls) and fifty known β-thalassemia traits (cases) were determined. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.

Results: A total of 50 known β-thalassemia traits and normal non-diabetic individuals were included in the study as cases and controls respectively. Cases and controls were age-gender matched. The mean hemoglobin level of cases i.e known β-thalassemia traits was 11.37+1.56 g/dl ranging from 8.3-14.5 g/dl. Mean hemoglobin level of normal non-diabetic controls was 12.5+1.86 g/dl with range of 10.1-17.1 g/dl (p-value>0.005). The mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells of β-thalassemia traits was 61.74+7.25fl. The range of mean corpuscular volume among β-thalassemia traits was 52.2-93.9fl.Mean corpuscular volume of controls was 74.4+7.6 fl ranging from 61.1 to 92.6 fl (p-value >0.005). Red cell distribution width among cases and controls was 40.54 +4.27 fl and 42.38+4.24 fl. The range of red cell distribution width among cases and controls was 32.7-57.9 and 30.5-53.7 fl (p-value >0.005). The mean red cell count of β-thalassemia traits was 6.23+ 0.80*10⁶/million with a range of 4.5-8*10⁶/million.Mean red cell count of cases and was 5.14+0.80*10⁶/million ranging from 3-6.5*10⁶/million (p-value>0.005). The mean value of glycosylated hemoglobin A1C in non-diabetics i.e controls and β-thalassemia traits i.e cases was 5% and 5.04% (p-value>0.005) i.e mean level of glycosylated hemoglobin A1C were comparable in both cases and controls.

Conclusion: Hemoglobin A1C can be used to monitor glycemic control in β-thalassemia traits.

Keywords: β-thalassemia traits; Glycosylated hemoglobin A1C High-performance liquid chromatography