Predictors of anemia in Type 2 diabetes mellitus without renal disease

Background: Among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without renal disease, hemoglobin levels tend to be lower than their counterparts without diabetes mellitus with a similar estimated glomerular filtration rate. Low hemoglobin levels have been associated with increased morbidity. Objective: We sought to determine the predictors of anemia among T2DM patients without renal disease attending the diabetes center at a tertiary teaching hospital in Accra, Ghana. Materials and Methods: One hundred and ninety-five type 2 diabetes patients aged 35 years and above without overt nephropathy and 184 controls without diabetes were recruited from the National Diabetes Management and Research Center and Orthopedic Outpatients Clinic of the KBTH, respectively. Both groups had full blood count, red cell indices, serum creatinine, and glycated hemoglobin determination as well as medical history and anthropometric measurements. Results: Seventy-nine percent of cases and 75.5% controls were females. The prevalence of anemia among participants with diabetes mellitus was 53.1% compared with 20.5% among controls (P = 0.00). In both groups, more males than females were anemic (68.3% cases, 51.1% controls). The mean duration of diabetes was 9.6 ± 6.22 years among the cases. Logistic regression revealed male gender and diabetes duration >10 years as significant predictors of anemia without renal disease in individuals with T2DM. Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia among T2DM participants without overt renal disease was two and half times the rate in control participants without diabetes mellitus. Physicians would be aware and take appropriate steps to identify and manage it to reduce associated morbidity