Anemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its association with the microvascular complications

Introduction: Anemia is more commonly seen in persons with diabetes than in persons without diabetes. There is high risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications in diabetes. Anemia is strongly associated with an increased risk of diabetic complications including nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy and heart failure. Aim of the study: To assess the correlation between anemia and the microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, cross sectional, hospital based study conducted in department of General Medicine at Government Medical College, Kottayam, over a period of one year. Two hundred consecutive cases of diabetes mellitus with anemia were studied for microvascular complications like diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy. Results: Total 200 patients were enrolled with 116 (58%) male and 84 (42%) female patients and male to female ratio was 1.3:1. The patient age ranged from 41 to 86 years and mean age was 60.78±9.38 years. Diabetic neuropathy was absent in 38% and present in 62%. Proliferative and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy was seen in 18% and 53% cases respectively. Conclusion: Anemia has correlation with the microvascular complications of diabetes. With increasing duration of diabetes mellitus the hemoglobin levels fall progressively